Air Peace, BA, Lufthansa, KLM, Virgin, Air France, Turkish Airlines set for flights to Lagos, Abuja
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1,744 flights on offer by 6 airlines
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At least 484,635 seats on offer
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Air Peace’s summer flights and seats not out
Seven airlines, including new entrant, Nigerian carrier Air Peace, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Turkish Airlines, and Air France have scheduled summer flights from Europe to Nigeria in 2024, according to a report by Simple Flying using data from aviation analytics company Cirium.
According to the report, this summer, Nigeria has scheduled non-stop flights from 12 intercontinental destinations in the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Asia, and that while its two main airports are among the most expensive to fly to, they are also among the busiest on the continent.
Data from Cirium shows that nearly 40 percent of Nigeria’s intercontinental flights are from Europe.
Nigeria’s largest carrier, Air Peace, is the latest airline to schedule flights to Europe. It will start serving London Gatwick (LGW) from Lagos on March 30, initially with Norse Atlantic’s Boeing 787s after earlier signing an ACMI agreement. There are six other airlines with non-stop passenger flights between Europe and Nigeria. Let’s take a look at the top carriers and routes.
British Airways: Top European carrier in Nigeria
British Airways is the top carrier between Europe and Nigeria this summer (April-October) in terms of non-stop flights, with 420 scheduled flights and 103,110 seats (one-way). The carrier serves Lagos Murtala Muhammed (LOS) and Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport (ABV) from London Heathrow (LHR). It has 210 flights and 53,760 seats to Lagos and 210 flights and 49,350 seats to Abuja.
Lagos is served daily with the Boeing 787-10, while Abuja is served daily with the B777-200. In terms of its Africa network, Nigeria is British Airways’ fourth-most popular destination by number of flights after South Africa, Morocco, and Egypt. Through its main fleet and subsidiary, BA Euroflyer, it serves two destinations in each of the top four countries.
3 other airlines serving Lagos and Abuja
With a total of 360 flights and 102,245 seats, Turkish Airlines is the second-largest European carrier to Nigeria this summer. It has scheduled 210 flights and 59,520 from Istanbul to Lagos and 150 flights and 42,725 seats from Istanbul to Abuja. It operates daily flights to Lagos and five weekly to Abuja with the Airbus A330-200 and A330-300.
Lufthansa is the third top carrier from Europe, with 308 non-stop flights and 83,148 seats. It also serves Nigeria’s two primary airports, operating flights from its hub at Frankfurt Airport (FRA). Abuja is its top Nigerian destination this summer with 162 flights and 45,198 seats, followed by Lagos with 146 flights and 37,950 seats. Abuja sees the A340, while Lagos sees both the A340 and A330.
The fourth and final European carrier serving Nigeria’s two main airports is Air France. It has a total of 270 scheduled flights, offering 81,448 seats to the West African country. There are 210 flights and 68,008 seats on the Paris-Lagos route and 60 flights and 13,440 seats on the Paris-Abuja route. Lagos will be served with the A350-900, while Abuja is served with the A330-200.
Virgin Atlantic and KLM
Virgin Atlantic is the third airline flying between Nigeria and the UK this summer. It is also the fifth top airline between Europe and Nigeria, with 210 flights and 68,220 seats. It currently operates daily flights from Heathrow to Lagos with the A350-1000. Meanwhile, Air Peace will be the only airline flying between Gatwick and Lagos.
The sixth top airline for Europe-Nigeria flights is the Dutch national carrier KLM. It has 176 scheduled flights and 46,464 seats on its route from Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) to Lagos. It currently operates six weekly flights with the A330-200.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) recently reopened Lagos’ main runway for international flights. The airport is currently served by about 29 airlines.
