Arik Air Will Offer Non-stop from Abuja to Heathrow

Arik Air, which is one of Nigeria’s biggest commercial carriers, just announced that they will launch a non-stop flight service to London’s Heathrow Airport and Abuja. The new service will begin on November 26, 2009, and be filed under the name Heathrow to Abuja and Abuja to Heathrow. The service will be offered five days a week, on Monday through Friday with the exception of Tuesday and then also on Sundays.

Flights are scheduled to leave Heathrow at 9:50 PM from Terminal 4 and arrive in Abuja around 5:30 AM the next morning. Returning flights will leave from Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 10:30 AM and arrive at London’s Heathrow at 4:05 PM also into Terminal 4.

The airline has purchased a new Boeing 737-800 craft to accommodate the new service which is the perfect jet for the mid-haul type of service such as this one. The jet is known for being able to make a short-turn around at airports. This will ensure that Arik Air’s new service will be both timely and accommodating for their passengers, many of which are expected to be business travellers who commute frequently.

The new Boeing 737-800 is one of the most quiet and environmentally conscious jets flying in the world at present. It is mid-sized and accommodates 20 business class passengers, and 126 coach seats. Each seat is provided with personalized audio and video entertainment.

Dr Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, CEO for Arik Air International announced that the airline has been operating a service of daily flights between Heathrow and Lagos, which had previously been unable. Now, he continued, the company will also offer a similar service previously unavailable due to the overwhelming amount of customer feedback indicating a desire for such a route.

The new service will enable Nigerian government workers to opt to use a Nigerian airline to travel to London. This is the first time that a Nigerian airline has offered a direct route to London from Abuja.