Nigeria’s Arik Air is to press ahead with plans to turn Lagos airport into a hub for West Africa, including the possible launch of a direct flight to Houston.
New routes to Mali, the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as to the Texan oil capital are under consideration for launch in the next six months.
Speaking at the Business Travel and Meetings Show in London, Keelan Morris, the airline’s corporate communications manager, said West Africa was “where the potential is, because of poor intra-African air links.
“You hear of people having to fly out of Africa to come back in,” he said.
Arik Air plans to offer connections to its neighbouring oil and mineral destinations by adjusting the timing of its Heathrow-Lagos flight and will also offer them from Houston if it proceeds with the launch of the US route.
Delta Air Lines flies non-stop from Lagos to Atlanta, while Arik Air services New York JFK airport.
Morris said the Houston launch was “not yet finalised”, but that the matter would be decided in the next five to six weeks.