Arik Air’s Asaba, Benin flights resumption to boost local air travel

Arik Air’s flight resumption to Asaba and Benin routes, amongst others, is restoring confidence in local air travel which had suffered as a result of fleet reduction.

The flight operations from Lagos to Asaba, the capital of Delta State resumed October 17, 2024; similarly, the airline reintroduced flight connections from Abuja to Benin on October 4 and from Abuja to Port Harcourt on October 10, 2024.

The Lagos-Asaba flights will operate from Murtala Muhammed Airport Domestic Terminal 1 (otherwise known as GAT), Ikeja, Lagos and operate four times weekly on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Flights from Abuja to Port Harcourt will operate daily while Abuja to Benin will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The airline has also increased frequencies on the Lagos-Benin and Lagos-Warri routes to daily flights, thus deepening its presence in the market.

The reintroduction of the aforementioned flights is part of the airline’s strategy to reconnect the key routes that were hitherto suspended due to operational reasons.

Commenting on the development, Roy Ilegbodu, Arik Air’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are happy to extend our services once again to the good people of Asaba and environs who have been yearning for our services.

“We promise customers on all routes our commitment to uphold the high operational standards that Arik Air is known for”.

Arik Air is Nigeria’s leading airline operating flights to major destinations in the country. The airline will be 18 years on October 30, 2024.

BusinessDay had earlier reported that passengers travelling from Lagos to second tier airports such as Ilorin, Akure, Asaba, Benin, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Ibadan and Yola amongst others have had little or no option of choosing airlines to fly with as very few airlines now operate these routes.

Apart from the lucrative routes – Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt being operated by major domestic airlines, these second-tier routes have seen airlines either reduce frequencies or suspend operations in and out of them.

The system inflicted ‘monopoly’ is seeing fares rise above 100 percent on these routes as job opportunities which were hitherto created by these airlines around the airports continue to decline.