LAGOS, Nigeria, Dec. 13, 2010 – United Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:UAL), today celebrated the inauguration of its new daily service between Lagos and Washington, D.C. at a special ceremony at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The inaugural ceremony was supported by a number of VIPs including: the Honorable Fidelia Akuabata Njeze, the Nigerian minister of aviation; the Honorable Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye, the Nigerian ambassador to the United States, who traveled on United’s first Washington-Lagos flight on Dec. 12; Joseph D. Stafford, U.S. Consul General Lagos; Dr. Harold Demuren, director general Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority; Richard Aisuebeogun, managing director and CEO, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria; Ibrahim Auyo, managing director and Chief Executive, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency; and Charles Duncan, United’s vice president of Sales – Transatlantic, Middle East and India.
“I am grateful to the Aviation Minister and all of our partners here who made launching the new service to Washington possible,” said Charles Duncan. “This service will facilitate stronger commercial and cultural ties between the United States and Nigeria, while making travel more convenient and more accessible to our customers in Africa and the Americas.”
The U.S.-bound service from Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport began today with the departure of United flight 991 at 9:30 p.m. After a stop in Accra, Ghana, the flight continued to Washington Dulles International Airport, arriving tomorrow at 6:11 a.m. Service from the United States began Dec. 12 with the departure of United flight 990, which will depart Washington Dulles International Airport daily at 10:43 p.m., arriving in Lagos at 5:35 p.m. the next day, after a stop in Accra.
United’s flights to and from Lagos are conveniently timed to provide connections to and from dozens of points across North America. At its Washington Dulles hub, United operates approximately 285 daily departures.
Flights from Lagos will feature United’s International Premium Travel Experience. Customers in United First® and United Business® may enjoy more than 150 hours of on-demand entertainment on 15.4 inch personal monitors, connect their iPods via connectivity outlets, relax with fully lie-flat seats and savor world-class cuisine with United’s exclusive menu options. The Boeing 767 features six seats in United First, 26 seats in United Business, and 151 seats in United Economy®, including 74 United Economy Plus® seats with added legroom and more personal space.
About United Airlines
United Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: UAL), operates more than 3,300 flights a day on United and United Express to more than 230 domestic and international destinations from its hubs in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. United operates daily services to the United States from Accra, Amsterdam, Bahrain, Brussels, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Kuwait City, London, Madrid, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Rome and Zurich. With key global air rights in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Latin America, United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which overall offers 21,000 daily flights to 1,160 airports in 181 countries.
United Continental Holdings, Inc. became the holding company for both United and Continental upon close of the merger transaction. The two airlines will operate separately as they begin to integrate key customer services, marketing activities and airport processes. For more company information, go to united.com and follow on Twitter and Facebook.