Nigeria’s Azman Air to add B737NGs, more A340s

Azman Air (AZM, Kano) has acquired three B737-800s as part of its fleet growth strategy aimed at developing Kano into a major transit hub for traffic between West Africa and Europe and Asia. In a statement, the privately-owned airline said the incoming B737s would be deployed on routes to select West and Central African countries while five smaller aircraft (type unspecified) will be used to expand its domestic Nigerian network. At present, Azman Air operates two B737-300s (of which one is owned and the other leased from GECAS), four B737-500s (of which one is owned and the remainder leased from GECAS and Standard Chartered Aviation Finance), and one A340-600. Azman says a second A340-600 will shortly be acquired in preparation for the launch of longhaul flights to Jeddah, Dubai Int’l, and Guangzhou from Kano. Azman’s network currently consists of flights to the Nigerian cities of Kano, Abuja, Asaba, Lagos, Benin City, Birmin Kebbi, Gombe, Kaduna Int’l (suspended), Maiduguri, and Owerri.