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United Nigeria Airlines Eyes US & UK Flights But Regulatory Approvals Will Be Difficult - SIMPLY FLYING
The carrier has received local permission to fly to the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.
- United Nigeria Airlines has been granted local approval to operate intercontinental flights to the US, UK, UAE, and other countries.
- Before beginning non-stop services, the carrier must complete several processes, including obtaining permission and necessary documentation from civil aviation authorities.
- It will be challenging for United Nigeria Airlines to secure regulatory approval and acquire proper licensing to begin flights to the US and Europe. The carrier also needs to acquire appropriate aircraft for these services.
Nigeria's government has granted privately-owned carrier United Nigeria Airlines (UNA) approval to launch flights to the United States, the United Kingdom, and four other countries. However, foreign regulatory approval will be difficult, as the carrier must complete several processes before these services begin.
Approval to operate intercontinental flights
UNA received a letter on September 10 from Hassan Ejinubu, the Director of Air Transport Management in the Nigerian Ministry of Aviation. The carrier has been given the green light to operate scheduled flights to the US, the UK, the UAE, the Netherlands, Italy, and Ireland.
This is an effort by the authorities to utilize the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and each of these countries. The West African nation currently has direct connections with some countries stated in the letter, but flights are operated by foreign carriers. Part of the letter read;
"I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Aug. 2, 2023, on the above subject and convey the minister's approval for the designation of Messrs United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited.
"The airline is to operate international flight operations to the undermentioned countries and cities: Netherlands (Amsterdam), Italy (Rome), United Arab Emirates (Dubai), United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (Houston), and Ireland (Dublin)."
The carrier will need to be granted permission and receive the necessary documentation from the respective civil aviation authorities before it can begin any non-stop services. Additionally, it must fulfill several requirements, including aircraft acquisition and safety demonstrations.
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Flying to the USA
As previously stated, Nigeria has a Bilateral Air Services Agreement with the United States, allowing carriers from both countries to operate commercial air transport services. Regulatory approval allows United Nigeria Airlines to fly to Houston, which currently has no direct connection with Nigeria.
This comes just two months after Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner visited West Africa. During his visit, he met with Emmanuel Meribole, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Aviation, and requested the establishment of direct flight connections between Houston and Nigeria. Meribole assured Turner he would work on the request once new ministers were inaugurated.
Nigeria can establish connections with the US under the current BASA and the US FAA IASA program. However, UNA will still need to liaise with the regulatory body and acquire proper licensing, which will be tricky. Simple Flying spoke to Airline Executive and Aviation Expert Sean Mendis. He said;
"Nigeria is currently classified as Category 1 under the US FAA IASA program, so Nigerian carriers are not banned from starting new routes to the USA; however, they will still need to satisfy both the US Dot Part 129 licensing requirements as well as the FAA operational requirements."
Currently, USA-Nigeria connections are offered by US-based airlines and are only available from two destinations. Delta Air Lines operates daily Airbus A330 flights from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) to Lagos Murtala Muhammed (LOS), while United Airlines operates three weekly B787 flights from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).
Flying to Europe
Similarly, Nigeria's agreements with the various European countries allow for several scheduled services. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and KLM all operate flights to Nigeria from their respective hubs.
UNA must meet operational and safety requirements to fly to Europe, and approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will be difficult. Additionally, the carrier will need to acquire high-capacity, long-range aircraft for the services. It only has four Embraer 145LRs in its fleet.
Sean Mendis added;
"Designation is the first step on a long journey. The airline currently operates only regional aircraft, so will need to add appropriate aircraft types for these services, as well as demonstrate operational and safety competence in compliance with both Nigerian and destination country regulations."
In cases of routes like the UK and Netherlands, they will also have issues obtaining slots at airports like Heathrow and Schiphol given the congestion and other restrictions in place.
For example, Nigeria's Air Peace has made efforts to launch flights to London Heathrow (LHR) but with no success. The carrier is now planning to launch London flights later this year.
Flying to the Middle East
Nigeria has no direct connection with the UAE. Emirates was a significant player in the Nigerian market, offering up to 11 weekly flights from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Lagos. However, the route was suspended last year because of a dispute with the Nigerian government regarding blocked funds.
Air Peace also operated flights to Dubai, but the service was discontinued because of the visa ban. Last month, President Bola Tinubu called for an immediate resolution to the rift between the two nations, which has affected airline operations and visa issuance for Nigerians. The regulatory approval granted to UNA supports the government's plan to re-establish connections with the United Arab Emirates.
