West Africa’s largest airline has launched a new service linking Dakar to three destinations.
Flights to Benin’s largest city Cotonou, Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou and Bamako, the capital of Mali, will start on December 6.
The airline has existing West African connections to Accra in Ghana, Freetown in Sierra Leone, Banjul in Gambia, Dakar in Senegal and Monrovia in Liberia.
Dubbed the Savannah Express, the new service will operate twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, using a Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft in a two-class configuration (10 in business, 64 in economy).
Flights will depart Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 18.00, arriving into Cotonou at 18.30 before continuing on to Ouagadougou at 19.00, arriving at 19.30.
The connection through to Bamako will then leave Ouagadougou at 20.15, arriving at 21.40, then departing for Dakar at 22.10 and terminating at midnight.
From Dakar, the flight will depart at 00.45 the next day for Bamako, arriving at 02.35. It will then leave Bamako at 03.05 for Ouagadougou, arriving at 4.30am.
The connection through to Cotonou will leave Ouagadougou at 05.15, arriving at 07.45, then departing for Lagos at 08.15 and terminating at 08.45.
Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, Arik Air’s Group CEO, said linking Lagos with Cotonou, Ouagadougou, Bamako and Dakar is “significant”.
“It marks the end to years of limited air links between Nigeria and the respective countries,” he said.
“The inauguration is coming at a time when the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is seeking closer relations among countries in the region.
“Arik Air’s new services will help Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mali to foster even stronger economic ties and cement economic relations.”
Arik Air flies daily between Lagos and London Heathrow.