Nigeria establishes first air transit hub 63 years after independence

• Air Peace, FAAN, jointly create hub

 Sade Williams/Business a.m.

For the first time since independence in 1960 and 87 years after its oldest airport, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano started operations in 1936, Nigeria has taken a bold step by establishing its first air transit hub at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, that could help the fortunes of Nigerian-owned airlines operating international and regional flights.

The hub, which sources say is expected to become available to airlines, has become possible following the push by Nigeria’s and West Africa’s biggest airline by fleet size, Air Peace.

Only recently, Allen Onyema, the executive chairman of Air Peace, drew attention to the financial losses being incurred by his airline and others in the country because of the lack of a transit hub that could allow them operate effectively and more profitably across the West African and international routes that they fly.

The push for a transit hub in Nigeria by Air Peace, whose services continue to expand across domestic, regional and international routes, has now seen the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) working with it to establish the hub, the very first in Nigeria, at the MMIA in Lagos.

The hub and its transit operation, which have already been activated by Air Peace, saw the airline commence transit flights from the Lagos airport to various regional and international cities.

“Finally, Air Peace and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, have created the first Transit Hub in Nigeria at Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos,” the airline said in a statement over the weekend.

Following the commencement of its usage, the hub is being deployed by Air Peace for the transit international flight routes of Accra-Mumbai-Accra; Accra-Jeddah-Accra; Accra-Johannesburg-Accra; Dakar-Jeddah and Dakar-Mumbai.

Also, it will cover the airline’s transit regional flights for Accra-Freetown-Accra; Accra-Douala-Accra; Monrovia-Lome-Monrovia; Accra-Dakar-Accra; Lome-Accra-Lome, and Accra-Banjul-Accra.

“Now, passengers from other countries can fly Air Peace to international and regional destinations through converging in Lagos from where they are flown to those destinations seamlessly without leaving the airport,” Air Peace further stated.

Taking credit for the development, Air Peace emphasised that it will continue to innovate in its flight service delivery, ensuring that its customers get the best experience across all touchpoints. It added that strategic connectivity across key domestic, regional and international cities remains a major part of its ambition.

The airline recently announced that it has secured a permit to operate into the United Kingdom. It hinted that plans are in top gear to officially launch the destination very soon after it kicked off direct flights to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in October, 2023.