Arik Air transports 10 million passengers in 6 years

Lagos - Arik Air said it transported more than 10 million passengers on its local, regional and international routes from 2006 to date.

Mr Adebanji Ola, the airline’s spokesman, disclosed this in a statement made available to aviation correspondents on Tuesday in Lagos.

“Arik Airline has finished a busy summer season by flying 10 millionth passengers, a landmark achievement in its short history.

“The carriage of 10 million passengers is an important milestone for an airline that has grown rapidly since it began operating in 2006,’’ he said.

He said that between January and August, Arik Air transported more than 1.5 million passengers across its expanding network of 20 domestic,10 regional and three long-haul destinations.

He said that a Nigerian businessman, Mr AbdulAziz Mustapha, became Arik Air’s 10 millionth guest when he travelled on its Johannesburg – Lagos route, one of its key long-haul destinations.

Ola said the airline currently had 1,500 staff worldwide and operated an average of 120 flights daily.

According to him, the airline is currently the leading carrier in Nigeria with 63 per cent share of the market capacity.

He said its regional destinations and Johannesburg routes from Lagos to both London Heathrow Airport and New York had strengthened the airline’s international presence.

Ola said that Dr Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, the Group  Chief  Executive Officer and  President of Arik Air, described the efforts as a milestone.

“Carrying 10 million passengers in less than six years is a remarkable achievement for Arik Air. That further underlines our status as Africa’s fastest growing airline.

“ We are particularly proud to have achieved this milestone on one of our three long-haul routes, which remain an important focus for us in expanding our global network,’’ he said.

Arumemi-Ikhide said that when the airline launched its first scheduled commercial service from Lagos to Abuja in 2006, one of its goals was to be a global-brand-leading carrier. (NAN)