Nigeria Airways

Early years

The airline came into being on 23 August 1958 under the name West African Airways Corporation Nigeria Limited (WAAC Nigeria), also known as Nigerian Airways, to succeed the folded West African Airways Corporation (WAAC); the title “WAAC” was retained due to the prestige this company had previously earned. Initially, the carrier was a tripartite entity in which the Nigerian government was the major shareholder (51%), and Elder Dempster Lines and BOAC held the balance (32⅔ and 16⅓, respectively). WAAC Nigeria inherited some aircraft previously owned by WAAC. Operations started on 1 October 1958, with a BOAC Stratocruiser operated on behalf of the new airline linking London with Lagos. The same day, WAAC Nigeria signed a 15-year agreement with BOAC to charter Stratocruisers and Britannias for serving long-haul flights between Nigeria and the United Kingdom. The contract also contemplated that these routes would be operated in a pool agreement.

At April 1960 (1960-04), the fleet comprised one Dove, eight Herons and eight DC-3s. In early 1961, Nigeria became the only owner of the company; the airline became the flag carrier of the country. A BOAC Comet 4 inaugurated the jet services between Nigeria and London on 1 April 1962; the flight was operated in conjunction with Nigeria Airways. Aimed at replacing the DC-3 aircraft park, five Fokker Friendship 200s were ordered late that year; these Fokker F-27s joined the fleet between January and May 1963 (1963-05), and were deployed on regional routes, including those that served Abidjan, Accra, Bathurst, Dakar, Freetown and Robertsfield. That year, the contract with BOAC was revised and a new agreement was signed in April. BOAC subsequently operated Vickers VC-10 services on behalf of Nigeria Airways from April 1964 until an aircraft of the type was acquired from the British state airline in October 1969 (1969-10); the airplane was destroyed in an accident in November that year.

The first air link between Nigeria and the United States was launched in early October 1964 (1964-10). Called ″Operation Fantastic", it linked Lagos with New York and was operated by PanAm using Boeing 707s and DC-8s, but an agreement between both countries allowed Nigeria Airways to sell a limited number of seats on these flights.

Employment was 2,191 at March 1970 (1970-03). At this time, the fleet comprised one Aztec, one DC-3 and six Fokker F27s that worked on a domestic network and regional routes that extended west, as far as Dakar, operated in pool agreement with Ghana Airways; the European list of destinations included Frankfurt, London, Madrid and Rome, all of them served with VC10s chartered from BOAC. On 22 January 1971, the company was rebranded as Nigeria Airways. Until a new Boeing 707-320C entered the fleet in 1971, Boeing 707s were leased from Laker Airways and Ethiopian Airlines to fill the capacity shortage left by the crashed aircraft on the Lagos–London route. Another Boeing 707-320C was ordered in 1972, along with two Boeing 737-200s. In October the same year, the Fokker F28 entered the fleet on a lease agreement with Fokker, and later that year the type was ordered. In late 1972, a contract for management assistance was signed with TWA, with the American carrier providing specialists in different managerial, commercial, and financial fields for five years. Once this agreement was officially concluded, a similar contract was signed with KLM in September 1979 (1979-09), this time for a period of two years.

By March 1975 (1975-03), the fleet consisted of two Boeing 707-320Cs, two Boeing 737-200s, three Fokker F28s, five Fokker F27s, and one Aztec, while five F28-2000s were on order. In October 1976 (1976-10), the company became the 83rd customer for the Boeing 727, when an order for two Boeing 727-200s and another Boeing 707-320C was placed; it also took possession of a Douglas DC-10-30. Orders for a second DC-10-30 and two F28-4000s were placed in 1977 and 1978, respectively.

By July 1980 (1980-07), the fleet consisted of 26 aircraft, split into three Boeing 707-320Cs, two Boeing 727-200s, two Boeing 737-200s, two DC-10-30s, two F27-200s, two F27-400Ms, four F27-600s, six F28-2000s, two F28-4000s, and one Aztec. Nigeria Airways became Airbus' 40th customer in 1981, when it placed an order for four Airbus A310-200s; these aircraft were incorporated into the fleet in late 1984 and early 1985. Also in 1981, four new Boeing 737-200s were ordered to replace leased aircraft of the same type in a deal worth US$65,000,000 (equivalent to $171,231,698 in 2016); they were delivered in February 1983 (1983-02). In 1982, a Boeing 747 was leased from Scanair; the aircraft was deployed on services to the United Kingdom, permitting the DC-10s to be used on new routes to Frankfurt, Paris, and Zurich. Following an accident occurred in November 1983 (1983-11) that involved a Fokker F28, the carrier decided to withdraw from service its F27 and F28 fleet. The fleet was 22-strong in March 1985 (1985-03), comprising two DC-10-30s, four Airbus A310s, three Boeing 707-320Cs, two Boeing 727-200s, ten Boeing 737-200s, and one Boeing 737-200C; two Boeing 737-200s were on order. Financed by a Japanese leasing company and the Equator Bank, the carrier operated the last DC-10 ever built. The aircraft was delivered in 1989, and replaced an aircraft of the same type that was lost in an accident two years earlier.

Demise

The carrier had accumulated significant debts that outstripped its revenues virtually from the mid-1980s. While 1,000 jobs had been cut by late 1986, Nigeria ordered the airline to reduce the number of employees —8,500 at the time, with a staff-aircraft ratio of 500:1— even more, and also to reduce or discontinue unprofitable routes. In 1988, cost-cutting measures led to the discontinuance of flights to a number of African destinations, including Cotonou, Dakar, Douala, Kinshasa, Monrovia and Nairobi; some of these routes were resumed a year later.

At April 2000 (2000-04), employment was 4,516. At this time, an Airbus A310-200, three Boeing 737-200 Advanced, one Boeing 747-200B Combi and one McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 served a route network that included Abuja, Calabar, Douala, Dubai, Jeddah, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Kinshasa, Lagos, Libreville, London, Maiduguri, Malabo, Port Harcourt, Sokoto and Yola. That year, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) was commissioned by the Nigerian Government to assist in the process of restructuring and privatisation of the airline. Among three options, one of them was to partner with a large European airline; Air France, Lufthansa and Swissair were all considered. Other option was to liquidate the carrier. A fleet comprising 32 aircraft in 1984 gradually depleted to a three-strong at that time. The IFC withdrew from its advisory position in 2001 citing the unwillingness of both the company and the government to carry out the necessary measures that would make the airline attractive to potential investors. Likewise, there were various allegations claiming the airline's failure was accelerated by former Nigerian rulers who looted and mismanaged the company.

In 1997 the UK Civil Aviation Authority had banned the airline from operating into its territory citing safety concerns; the Nigerian government replied banning British Airways operations. The United Kingdom cited safety concerns again in 2001 when it refused to allow Nigeria Airways to operate the Lagos–London route, this time regarding the Boeing 747 that was leased from Air Djibouti to fly the route.

The carrier ceased operations in 2003 and was liquidated a year later. The Nigerian government later came to an agreement with Virgin Atlantic Airways to found Virgin Nigeria Airways, intended as a replacement, yet the ground facilities of the folded Nigeria Airways were eventually taken over by Arik Air.

Corporate affairs

Nigeria Airways had its headquarters at Airways House in Abuja at the time of dissolution. It had been moved from Murtala Muhammed Airport between 1999 and 2000. The airline logo consisted of the Nigerian flag with a green elephant named Skypower in its centre.

Destinations

At the time of closure the Nigeria Airways network consisted of four domestic destinations, namely Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt; likewise, the international network comprised Abidjan, Dubai, Jeddah, London and New York.

Fleet

The airline operated the following equipment throughout its history:

Accidents and incidents

Aviation Safety Network records 16 events for the airline, eight of which led to fatalities. The worst accident experienced by the carrier took place on 11 July 1991, when 261 people were killed in an accident at King Abdulaziz International Airport. The following list includes events that had reported fatalities, carried with the hull-loss of the equipment involved, or both.