United Nigeria Airlines secures AOC, launches

United Nigeria Airlines (NUA, Enugu) commenced operations from Lagos on February 12 after completing its certification drive at the beginning of the month. The inaugural flight was scheduled to take off from Lagos to Enugu, the airline’s operational base, from where it proceeded to Abuja before returning to Lagos, airline spokesperson Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu told Nigerian media. Flights to Owerri and Port Harcourt Omagwa will follow soon. “Our short term is to consolidate. You can see we have a base in Enugu. And we have to consolidate, establish all our routes and then work about expanding. We want to expand beyond Nigeria, starting from the West Coast; just for a start. We have a big plan,” Uchegbu told This Day newspaper. He confirmed the airline on February 1, 2021, had received its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows United Nigeria Airlines owns a fleet of four ex-ExpressJet Airlines E145s: 5N-BWW (msn 145575), 5N-BWX (msn 145553), 5N-BWY (msn 145622), and 5N-BWZ (msn 145623). United Nigeria Airlines (not to be confused with the Nigerian Air Force’s now-dormant United Nigeria (Lagos) project) is owned by businessman Obiorah Okonkwo. It is one of several Nigerian market entrants. Also busy with launch plans is Green Africa Airways (Q9, Lagos), which is currently completing its certification.