Travel & Business News

Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, CEO, United Nigeria Airlines. United Nigeria Airlines has entered a 10-year sponsorship agreement with the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) to fund the annual Chinua Achebe Prize for Fiction. The carrier will disburse N2 million annually, totaling N20 million over the duration of the commitment. The agreement was disclosed by the airline’s Executive Chairman, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, following consultations with the President, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Dr. Usman Akanbi. The partnership is designed to provide financial stability to the award, which was launched in 2021 by the Anambra State Government in collaboration with ANA.  According to the association, the long-term funding framework will ensure continuity of the prize irrespective of fluctuations in government subventions. The award encountered budgetary constraints in the past three (3) years after the current Anambra administration discontinued its financial support. According...

Daisy Barro, Associate Editor, Travel & Business News “Airborne already? Wow.”   That was the exact thought that flashed through my mind as I looked out the panoramic window. I hadn't felt the violent jolt or stomach-drop I always associated with helicopters in movies. In fact, I hadn't even realized our wheels had left the tarmac until the ground began to shrink beneath us. This was my very first time flying in a helicopter, and it was happening aboard the maiden flight of Africa’s first Airbus H160. On Thursday, July 2, 2026, I had the incredible privilege of being among the first to fly on the first-ever Airbus H160 deployed in Africa. Bristow Helicopters, the launch customer of the aircraft type on the continent, procured five of these helicopters. By the time of this flight, the airline had taken delivery of four of the vessels, and I flew aboard the one bearing the registration number 5N-CFN. To be quite honest, I did not know what to expect on this flight. I ...

(L-R): Mr. Javier Alija, Vice President, Global Sales & Distribution, Ethiad Airways; Mr. Christopher Isaiah, Group General Manager, Commercial, APG Nigeria; Mrs. Gloria Atumu, General Manager, APG Nigeria; Mr. Olufemi Adefope, APG Nigeria Group Chairman; Mr. Khaleefa Mohamed Al Hammadi, Regional General Manager, Sales, Digital and Distribution, Ethiad Airways. APG Global Associates Network Limited has been appointed General Sales Agent for Etihad Airways in Nigeria, marking a key development in the UAE carrier’s expansion strategy in West Africa. The appointment was formalized with the signing of a Letter of Intent at the Legend Hotel, Lagos on Friday, July 25, 2026. The agreement positions APG Nigeria, the Nigerian affiliate of APG Inc., as the commercial representative for Etihad in Africa’s largest aviation and business travel market. Executives from both organizations attended the ceremony. Representing Etihad Airways were Mr. Javier Alija, Vice President, Global S...

Air Peace has convened a Travel Agency Forum in Lagos to align with trade partners ahead of the August 1, 2026 inauguration of new regional services to Bamako, Conakry, Douala and Libreville.  As West and Central Africa’s largest carrier, the airline used the engagement to outline network expansion plans, commercial strategies, and operational support for agencies ahead of the route rollout. In his opening remarks, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Mr. Nowel Ngala, highlighted the strategic rationale for the new destinations, stating that the routes are designed to enhance intra-regional connectivity, stimulate trade and tourism, and generate additional yield for both passengers and distribution partners. He affirmed the carrier’s intent to maintain close collaboration with the agency community to ensure commercial uptake of the expanded network. Speaking on behalf of the President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Mr. Yinka Folami, Vice Pres...

The Institute of Nigerian Aeronautical Engineers (INAE) has conferred its gold medal award on the Executive Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines (UNA), Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, citing the carrier’s commitment to safety, engineering capacity development, and sustained growth amid macroeconomic headwinds. The honour was presented by INAE National President, Dr. Ebitei Charles, during the Institute’s International Conference and Fellowship Conferment held in Lagos on Wednesday. The award is designated for individuals whose contributions have measurably advanced aeronautical engineering practice in Nigeria. INAE, a professional division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers regulated by COREN, noted that Okonkwo was recognised for steering UNA’s rapid expansion since commencing operations in February 2021, a period that coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and a global economic downturn. Representing the Chairman at the ceremony were the airline’s Director of Continuing Airworthines...

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has commissioned the newly refurbished Muhammadu Adamu Dankabo Domestic Terminal at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), describing the project as a critical component of the Federal Government’s infrastructure modernization program under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The event, held on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at MAKIA in Kano, brought together senior government officials and aviation stakeholders. Attendees included the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria's (FAAN) Governing Board Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; FAAN Managing Director, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku; the Executive Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, represented by the Kano State Commissioner for Transport, Barr. Haruna Isa Dederi; Minister of State for FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure; and the Director of Air Transport Management, Mr. Ahmed Tijani. The domestic terminal has been named after Mallam M...