Photo caption : Pix from left Linus Awute, member, Board of Directors/Director of Administration, United Nigeria Airline; Maxi Osita Okonkwo, Executive Director/COO; Professor Obiora Okonkwo, Chairman, United Nigeria Airline; Mr Eze Anaba, Editor, Vanguard Newspapers/President, Nigerian Guild of Editors; Captain Ahmad Ibrahim Mahmud, Director of Operations, Chiaka Ben-Obi, member, Board of Directors and Kelechi Asuquo, Director of Human Resource during the United Nigeria Airline launch of in-flight magazine at the World Press Conference organised to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Airline held in Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday.
United Nigeria Airlines has said that it would soon add additional aircraft to its fleet before the end of the second quarter of 2026.
The fleet expansion will bring the number of aircraft to 11.
The Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, disclosed this at a press conference held in Lagos to celebrate the airline’s 5th anniversary
Okonkwo who gave a brief history of the airline’s trajectory from launching in February 2021 with four narrow-body aircraft on the Lagos-Enugu route, said the airline now operate 10 aircraft and connects 16 Nigerian states
He also said that the airline has alsott commenced flight operations to Accra, rGhana.
The UNA CEO said that as they plan to begin international operations, six Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft have been acquired from Southwest Aviation and negotiations are being finalised for three additional aircraft of the same type to be delivered from March 2026,
He added that when the first two aircraft arrive, with the rest expected before the end of the second quarter. The airline has leased two Airbus A330-200 aircraft from Anka Aviation in Turkey to support intercontinental services.
The first aircraft, Okonkwo said will arrive on July 26,2026, while the second is expected between July and October.
“To add to our existing 10 aircraft in our Opspec as at today, we have acquired six numbers of 737 – 800 NG from Southwest Aviation and finalising negotiations for additional three numbers of the same aircraft type all scheduled to be delivered before the end of 2nd quarter, starting from March 2026 when we take delivery of the first two aircraft. We had also leased two numbers A330 – 200 wide body aircraft to support our international operations from Anka Aviation Turkey, to be delivered between July and October 2026 with first delivery on 26th of July, amongst other aircraft acquisition negotiations that deliveries may mature beyond 2026,” Okonkwo said.
He listed the airline’s planned long-haul destinations to include: Dubai, Jeddah, Rome, New York and the United Kingdom.
“Our ambition is clear: to transform United Nigeria Airlines from a leading national carrier into a recognised continental aviation powerhouse. We plan to start additional six regional and continental routes on or before the second quarter of 2026. These routes include but not limited to Dakar, Monrovia, Johannesburg etc. Plans are in advance stage to commence international flights to Gulf states, Europe and America by summer 2026 everything being equal. These destinations include, Dubai, Jedah, Rome, New York, UK etc,” Okonkwo said.
He also revealed that United Nigeria has migrated from equivalent maintenance systems to an Approved Maintenance Organisation structure, adding that this transition serves as a precursor to establishing a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul(MRO) facility within three years.
According to him, “We have migrated from equivalent maintenance systems to AMO as a prelude to our MRO within the next three years.”
Speaking on airline’s five years journey, Okonkwo acknowledged the challenges the airline surmounted during the five years of existence. “Nigeria’s aviation environment is complex from COVID-19 era shutdowns to regulatory hurdles, currency volatility and infrastructure constraints. Yet, each challenge strengthened our resolve and sharpened our focus,” he said.
He said that within five years, the airline became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and achieved IOSA certification within two years of operations milestones.
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