Arik Air, Nigeria and West Africa’s largest carrier, on Thursday, refuted claims that it has suspended operations to Accra, Ghana.
Arik Air’s Chief Commercial Officer, Suraj Sundaram, said the airline is still operating between the Lagos-Accra and Abuja-Accra routes and is not contemplating suspension of flights as claimed by a section of the media.
“We have been consistent since commencing the Accra route in January 2008 and we remain the largest airline on that route offering the largest capacity and choice of flights not only connecting Nigeria to Ghana but also onwards from Ghana to other West African nations”, Sundaram said.
Arik Air started Accra operations with one daily fight and the airline has scaled this operation over the years into five flights out of Lagos and Abuja.
Arik Air is the first African carrier to have truly established a ‘scissors hub’ at Accra airport, meaning that flights from Lagos and Abuja arrive into Accra within a few minutes of each other, and then depart onward to other West African cities from Accra nonstop.
This enables both North and South Nigeria to be connected to destinations like Banjul and Dakar conveniently via Accra in both directions.
In addition, Arik Air is the largest international airline out of Ghana operating to six cities nonstop from Accra. These include Freetown (3 weekly), Banjul (4 weekly), Dakar (3 weekly), Monrovia (3 weekly), Lagos (4 times daily) and Abuja (daily).
“We will continue to invest in and further expand the Ghanaian market based on the strong support and patronage we have received from the people of Ghana over the past eight years”, he added.
Arik Air is Nigeria and West Africa’s largest airline and operates mainly from two hubs at Murtala Mohammed Airport Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.
It operates a fleet of 28 state-of-the art regional, medium haul and long haul aircraft including two Airbus A340-500 making the airline the first operator of the wide bodied aircraft in Africa.
The airline currently serves 18 destinations across Nigeria as well as Accra (Ghana), Banjul (Gambia), Dakar (Senegal), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Monrovia (Liberia), Cotonou (Benin Republic), Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire), Douala (Cameroon), Luanda (Angola), Libreville (Gabon), London Heathrow (UK), Johannesburg (South Africa) and New York JFK (USA).
The airline operates a combined number of about 120 daily flights from its hubs in Lagos and Abuja, and has been Africa’s fastest growing airline for the last five years.
By: Sade Williams
