NEW AIRLINE - United Nigeria inks Air Bissau relaunch with Guinea-Bissau

United Nigeria Airlines (UN, Enugu) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Guinea-Bissau to re-establish the country's national carrier, Air Bissau (Bissau), the Nigerian airline announced.
The agreement was signed in Bissau by Guinea-Bissau's Transport Minister, Florentino Mendes Pereira, and United Nigeria Airlines majority shareholder, chairman and CEO, Obiora Okonkwo.

Under the agreement, the parties will establish a joint venture (JV) to operate the new iteration of Air Bissau, which closed down in 1998.

Under the JV, United Nigeria Airlines will provide most of the investment, aircraft - most likely the airline's E145s - plus operational expertise and management. The Nigerian carrier will also supply an executive jet for use by the president and government of Guinea-Bissau.

For its part, the government has committed to designating Air Bissau as the country's official national carrier, giving it access to traffic rights under the country's bilateral air services agreement. It will also facilitate the airline's certification and licensing through the civil aviation authorities of Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria, while supporting airport infrastructure, customs, immigration, and security arrangements at Bissau, which will serve as the airline's base.

United Nigeria Airlines will also support the training of Air Bissau pilots, cabin crew, and maintenance personnel and employ local staff where feasible. The memorandum stipulates that operational control and day-to-day management of the airline will rest with United Nigeria Airlines.

The MOU takes immediate effect and will remain valid for 18 months or until the parties conclude a definitive joint venture agreement.

The old Air Bissau operated between 1960 and 1998, serving domestic and regional routes with B727-200s, Fairchild F-27s, An-24s, and An-26s. Since then, the country has relied on ASKY Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, and TAP Air Portugal for international connectivity.

Fleet expansion

Meanwhile, United Nigeria Airlines has taken delivery of the first of six B737-800s acquired from Southwest Airlines as part of its fleet expansion programme.

The 11.8-year-old N8642E (msn 42525) and 12.1-year-old N8627B (msn 36895) have been re-registered as 5N-CFC and 5N-CFB, respectively. According to ADS-B flight tracking data, 5N-CFB arrived in Lagos on June 13 after being ferried from Tallinn Lennart Meri via Algiers. Both aircraft were in Estonia since April 30 for painting and cabin reconfiguration in dual-class layouts.

In an interview with ch-aviation in May 2026, Okonkwo said United Nigeria Airlines was targeting a fleet of 22 aircraft by the end of 2026 as it expands into at least five or six African destinations and launches intercontinental operations.

Apart from the B737-800s, the in-house fleet comprises three E145s.

The airline currently relies heavily on wet leases, including two A320-200s from Fly2Sky; two CRJ900s from CemAir; and one E190 from Windrose Airlines.

According to Okonkwo, United Nigeria Airlines plans to wet-lease five more aircraft, including two A330-200s from Air Anka, two E190s from TrueNoord, and one more E190 from Windrose Airlines, all still to be deployed.

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ROUTES / FLEET - United Nigeria Airlines will commence direct flights from Lagos to New York by the end of 2Q 2026

With two recently acquired A330-200s yet to deliver.
The six B737-800s recently announced deliver by June 2026, helping open new routes.

 

FLEET - United Nigeria, Southwest ink deal for up to ten B737-800s

United Nigeria Airlines (UN, Enugu) has signed a sale and purchase agreement with Southwest Airlines (WN, Dallas Love Field) for six B737-800s and expressed interest in four more, to be inducted between the first quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027.

According to a joint statement issued after the September 3 signing ceremony at Southwest Airlines in Dallas, the transaction was brokered in partnership with Skyworks Holdings, a global leasing and asset management firm. Boeing and Southwest will provide ongoing training and maintenance support to United Nigeria Airlines. The aircraft will accommodate 189 passengers in a single-class configuration.

Plans for the acquisition of the six B737-800s were first reported by ch-aviation in July. The airline said the aircraft would be delivered in two phases: two would arrive in February 2026, with the remaining four expected by the end of June. Three of these would be owned by the airline, the other three would be financed.

In a joint statement, the carriers and Skyworks described the transaction as "a landmark deal" marking a new phase in United Nigeria Airlines' strategic growth and fleet expansion plan. The aircraft will enable it to broaden its domestic, regional, and future international operations, and enhance efficiency and capacity. Chairman Obiora Okonkwo said the fleet upgrade will expand routes, create jobs, and bolster Nigeria’s aviation competitiveness.

"The new fleet will enable us to operate new flights into approved domestic, regional, and international designations, lift more passengers and cargo at competitive fares, and provide efficient point-to-point travel, helping Nigerians and other African travellers to eliminate inefficient stopovers and save valuable time," he outlined.

United Nigeria Airlines currently owns four E145 regional jets, three of which are active, ADS-B data shows. It also previously wet-leased an E145 from fellow Nigerian carrier Xejet, an A320-200 from Bulgarian carrier Fly2Sky, and a B737-800 on ACMI from SkyUp Airlines.

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NEW MODEL IN THE FLEET - United Nigeria Airlines adds wet-leased A320

 United Nigeria Airlines (NUA, Enugu) is to wet-lease an A320-200 from Bulgaria's Fly2Sky (F6, Sofia) commencing mid-October through to March 31, 2024, to boost domestic capacity during the IATA winter season.

Under the contract, LZ-FSA (msn 4247) will be based in Nigeria and operate domestic routes, Fly2Sky announced in a statement.

"We are excited to bring our Airbus A320 LZ-FSA to the heart of Nigeria and provide [...] winter operations support for United Nigeria Airlines. This collaboration is not only an expansion of our business but is also about strengthening ties with our partners in the African continent," commented Fly2Sky's chief commercial officer, Aleksandrs Gusevs.

United Nigeria Airlines' executive director and chief operating officer, Osita Okonkwo, recently announced the airline was also acquiring Airbus widebodies after receiving approval to operate intercontinental flights to airports in six countries - Houston Intercontinental (US), London Heathrow (UK), Amsterdam Schiphol (Netherlands), Rome Fiumicino (Italy), Dublin International (Ireland), and Dubai International (UAE).

It also expects the deliveries of two E190s in the fourth quarter of 2023 and ten E175s to arrive in batches within 24 months.

The airline's fleet currently comprises four in-house EMB-145LRs, according to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module.

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United Nigeria Airlines adds an Airbus A320 aircraft to its fleet to boost operations

 United Nigeria Airlines

United Nigeria Airways has boosted its fleet with an additional A320, which will commence scheduled flight services to Osubi and Anambra.

United Nigeria Airlines secures AOC, launches

 

United Nigeria Airlines (NUA, Enugu) commenced operations from Lagos on February 12 after completing its certification drive at the beginning of the month.

The inaugural flight was scheduled to take off from Lagos to Enugu, the airline's operational base, from where it proceeded to Abuja before returning to Lagos, airline spokesperson Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu told Nigerian media.

He said the airline would operate daily rotations between:
Lagos – Abuja, Enugu, and Asaba;
Abuja – Lagos, Enugu, and Asaba.

Flights to Owerri and Port Harcourt Omagwa will follow soon.

“Our short term is to consolidate. You can see we have a base in Enugu. And we have to consolidate, establish all our routes and then work about expanding. We want to expand beyond Nigeria, starting from the West Coast; just for a start. We have a big plan," Uchegbu told This Day newspaper.

He confirmed the airline on February 1, 2021, had received its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows United Nigeria Airlines owns a fleet of four ex-ExpressJet Airlines E145s: 5N-BWW (msn 145575), 5N-BWX (msn 145553), 5N-BWY (msn 145622), and 5N-BWZ (msn 145623).

United Nigeria Airlines (not to be confused with the Nigerian Air Force's now-dormant United Nigeria (Lagos) project) is owned by businessman Obiorah Okonkwo. It is one of several Nigerian market entrants. Also busy with launch plans is Green Africa Airways (Q9, Lagos), which is currently completing its certification.

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