This Week’s Update

A few short updates:

• Arik Air has officially passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).
• Angry villagers near Kaduna Airport blocked an IRS Airlines aircraft from taking off to protest the closure of a footpath near the airport by the FAAN.
• The Federal Government has granted Kenya Airways permission to operate 14 flights a week into Lagos and four flights a week into Abuja. Meanwhile, the authorities still have to approve Ethiopian Airlines’ request to operate a B777-200LR on the Addis Ababa-Lagos route.
• Several projects are ongoing to improve the aviation infrastructure in Nigeria.

Kenya Airways To Start Nairobi-Abuja in July 2011

Kenya Airways announced it will commence direct flights between Nairobi and Abuja per July 2011. The flight schedule is not yet released.

Kenya And Afriqiyah Request Access To Abuja

Kenya Airways and Afriqiyah Airways are seeking landing rights at Abuja. Both airlines already operate flights to Lagos.

Meanwhile, Air Ivoire suspended its service to Lagos and EgyptAir has been cancelling flights in the past days due to the civil unrest.

Nigerian Eagle Airlines And Kenya Airways Codeshare

Nigerian Eagle/Virgin Nigiria and Kenya Airways launched the announced codeshare. The codeshare flight  numbers between Lagos and Nairobi can be found here.

Nigerian Eagle Airlines also swapped its order for seven EMB-170s for seven EMB-190s recently. It’s uncertain if the airline will ever take delivery of the aircraft.