Nigeria has twelve intercontinental destinations in the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Asia that it will be serving with nonstop flights this summer. Its two main airports are among the busiest on the continent, while being among the most expensive to fly into. Cirium, an aviation analytics business, reports that around 40% of Nigeria’s international flights originate from Europe.
The biggest airline in the nation, Air Peace, is the most recent to plan flights to Europe. After signing an ACMI deal earlier this week, it will begin servicing London Gatwick (LGW) from Lagos on March 30, first using Boeing 787s operated by Norse Atlantic. There are six more airlines that operate regular passenger routes from Europe to Nigeria. Let’s examine the leading airlines and routes.
British Airways is the top carrier between Europe and Nigeria this summer (April-October), with 420 scheduled flights and 103,110 seats (one-way). The carrier serves Lagos Murtala Muhammed (LOS) and Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport (ABV) from London Heathrow (LHR). It has 210 flights and 53,760 seats to Lagos and 210 flights and 49,350 seats to Abuja.
Lagos is served daily with the Boeing 787-10, while Abuja is served daily with the B777-200. In terms of its Africa network, Nigeria is British Airways’ fourth-most popular destination by number of flights after South Africa, Morocco, and Egypt. Through its main fleet and subsidiary, BA Euroflyer, it serves two destinations in each of the top four countries.
Three other airlines serving Lagos and Abuja
With a total of 360 flights and 102,245 seats, Turkish Airlines is the second-largest European carrier to Nigeria this summer. It has scheduled 210 flights and 59,520 from Istanbul to Lagos and 150 flights and 42,725 seats from Istanbul to Abuja. It operates daily flights to Lagos and five weekly to Abuja with the Airbus A330-200 and A330-300.
Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-300 | TC-JOJ
Lufthansa is the third top carrier from Europe, with 308 flights and 83,148 seats. It also serves Nigeria’s two primary airports, operating flights from its hub at Frankfurt Airport (FRA). Abuja is its top Nigerian destination this summer with 162 flights and 45,198 seats, followed by Lagos with 146 flights and 37,950 seats. Abuja sees the A340, while Lagos sees both the A340 and A330.
The fourth and final European carrier serving Nigeria’s two main airports is Air France. It has a total of 270 scheduled flights, offering 81,448 seats to the West African country. There are 210 flights and 68,008 seats on the Paris-Lagos route and 60 flights and 13,440 seats on the Paris-Abuja route. Lagos will be served with the A350-900, while Abuja is served with the A330-200.
Virgin Atlantic and KLM
Virgin Atlantic is the third airline flying between Nigeria and the UK this summer. It is also the fifth top airline between Europe and Nigeria, with 210 flights and 68,220 seats. It currently operates daily flights from Heathrow to Lagos with the A350-1000. Meanwhile, Air Peace will be the only airline flying between Gatwick and Lagos.
The sixth top airline for Europe-Nigeria flights is the Dutch national carrier KLM. It has 176 scheduled flights and 46,464 seats on its route from Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) to Lagos. It currently operates six weekly flights with the A330-200. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) recently reopened Lagos’ main runway for international flights. The airport is currently served by about 29 airlines.
