Nigeria’s Cally Air starts commercial operations

Nigerian start-up Cally Air (Calabar) has launched commercial operations between Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Calabar with a B737-300, 5N-BYQ (msn 30334).

The maiden flight took place on July 15 from Lagos to Abuja, Flightradar24 ADS-B data reveals.

According to Nigerian news media, the aircraft was welcomed on touchdown by Ben Ayade, the governor of the Nigerian state of Cross River, who boarded the aircraft for inspection and lauded the event as the realisation of a dream that had started in 2016. He expressed confidence that Cally Air would contribute to growing tourism to Cross River State, located along Nigeria’s border with Cameroon and the Atlantic Ocean coastline.

This was also true of the state’s new Obudu International Airport, he said, currently under construction and due for completion in December 2021. The airport’s construction has been controversial because it has been met with resistance from the Okambi community, which owns the land where it is being built.

Based at Calabar, Cally Air is a virtual carrier operated by Aero Contractors (N2, Lagos). As things stand, it has a fleet of two B737-300s, with one DHC-8-Q200 due from Aero, according to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module. The first B737-300, 5N-BYR (msn 29266), was bought from Magnetic Leasing and delivered on April 6, 2021. The second B737-300, 5N-BYQ (msn 30334), is being leased from Magnetic Leasing and was delivered on April 28, 2021.