Overland launches new Abuja-Akure service
Overland Airways introduced a new six-weekly flight service between Abuja and Akure, the capital of Ondo State. Schedule:
- OJ1198 Abuja-Akure 09:45-10:45 (Weekdays)
- OJ1199 Akure-Abuja 11:15-12:15 (Weekdays)
- OJ1198 Abuja-Akure 12:00-13:00 (Sundays)
- OJ1199 Akure-Abuja 13:30-14:30 (Sundays)
Akure Airport was left without any scheduled commercial flights, after Arik Air and Associated Aviation abandoned the airport last year.
Aviation in Nigeria 
Wishing Overland the best on this route. If successive airlines can’t make the route work, it’s starting to say a lot for the nation’s airport development policy. Vanity schemes against commercially viable ones.
On the other hand, Alaba, the state government could attract the airlines by subsidizing the service. Kwara State’s ex-governor, the urbane Bukola Saraki, did just that, and Overland responded with years of reliable service in Ilorin. Akwa Ibom’s said to have tied up with Dana too. It just depends on how critical the state govt thinks air travel is, to their milieu.
Ultimately, Overland is likely using profitable service elsewhere to develop Akure; nobody is father Christmas!
But Greg,
It will be germaine to see the cost of the subsidy Saraki paid to make it worthwhile for Overland relative to the costs of other state services. I know Ilorin airport from its inception and it has always struggled with traffic..maybe..just maybe.. leave the place to the military and focus on enhancing rail services..
If I’m not mistaken, Ilorin got its airport when Gowon decided the twelve state capitals each needed one. If we had stuck to five-yr dev plans, resisted the IMF and SAPs, and perhaps avoided the “settlement”/the gap toothed General, it would be paying its way today.
In short, we derailed, or is it, landed short. It’s possible that we’re airborne again
But even Ilorin lost out big time, having been ditched as a strategic alternate to Lagos, losing any tech potential it had flight training and related activity that could have at least kept it active enough even with the low traffic.
Derailed? It’s even possible the wheels are still chocks with the parking brake not fully released.