In the 1980s and the early 1990s – the heydays of defunct national carrier, the Nigeria Airways, the airline was a delight to behold and fly. Combining efficiency and profitability, its fleet of about 30 airplanes (of different ranges), covered major Nigerian, African and world cities.While its route efficiency and planning fully utilised available capacity, route viability was hardly the case within this period.
For example, the national carrier flew its Boeing 727 and Boeing 737 to Kano, where it positioned the Fokker F27 turboprop that would redistribute passengers to Sokoto, Kaduna and Jos twice daily, and also to Makurdi and Yola. While there were direct flights to Yola and Maiduguri from Lagos, once daily, a 50-seater F27 flight connects Lagos to Ibadan and Benin.For locations in South East and South South, including Enugu, Port Harcourt and Calabar, the Nigeria Airways serviced those areas with F28 crafts at least twice daily. Read more