United Nigeria Airlines and Cronos Partner on New MRO Facility in Nigeria

United Nigeria Airlines (UN, Enugu) and Cronos Airlines (C8, Malabo) have partnered to establish a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in Nigeria, aiming to service a wide range of aircraft from widebodies like the B777 to regional jets like the E190. The final location of the MRO base is still under consideration, with sites near Enugu International Airport being explored, according to reports from This Day.

Cronos Airlines CEO Andreas Kaiafas shared that the facility would draw on Cronos’s existing expertise in aircraft maintenance, adding that it would serve not only Nigerian operators but also regional airlines, reducing the need for costly and time-consuming overseas maintenance.

The move aligns with Nigeria’s push to develop its own MRO capabilities, an initiative highlighted by Nigeria’s aviation minister Festus Keyamo, who emphasized the importance of a locally-based, private-sector-led MRO facility. Keyamo noted that establishing such a facility would save foreign exchange by eliminating the need for Nigerian carriers to conduct maintenance abroad, especially for widebody aircraft—an underserved service in West and Central Africa.

Currently, other Nigerian carriers are also advancing their own MRO projects. Aero Contractors operates an MRO in Lagos for B737s, Dash 8s, and Hawker jets, with an expansion underway due to demand. Ibom Air (QI, Uyo) is planning its own MRO in Uyo, specializing in A220, A320, B737, and CRJ900 maintenance, with base maintenance starting in March 2025.

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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com