Travellers Award 2022 to honour airlines with young fleet, inflight services, others

The organiser of Travellers Award has rolled out criteria to honour airlines in its 2022 award ceremony, which include a young fleet, good customer services, inflight services, on-time performance and spread of destinations.

The publisher of ATQ magazine and Akwaaba African Travel Market, Ambassador Ikechi Uko in a release made available to Travelpulse&MICE said this year’s Travellers Award will highlight the expectations of travellers in Nigeria. The organisers are listening to the complaints and yearnings of travellers by incorporating these desires in selecting the 2022 winners.

He explained that delays and cancellations are big issues on the domestic scene, while customer services and schedule integrity ranked high on most social media feedback reports and this is an area they are taking a close look at.

He noted that many new airlines are expected to join the market but only Green Africa and United Nigeria, eventually joined the business out of the 17 under process. “The age of Aircraft and the return of new air planes became an issue when Air Peace brought brand new aircraft into the Nigerian airspace since the decline of Arik.

“Out of the 15 Aviations Awards to be unveiled before March 11th at Abuja Jabamah, the first set of awards to be released by the organisers was the youngest Fleet Award and the Destinations Award.

“Travellers Award was instituted in 1996 by the Publishers of Travellers Magazine and Atqnews.com with the theme; Promoting Excellence in Travels.

“The Airline that gets the highest number of the awards will emerge as the Nigerian Airline of the Year.

About 65 to 70 aircraft were on hand in 2021 to carry over six million passengers to over 20 active airports in Nigeria.

“Air Peace and IbomAir are now the contenders with one award apiece. The other winners of on time performance, inflight services, customer service will join the scramble for the top award that is Airline of the Year in 2021.

“Air Peace is the airline with the best domestic coverage in Nigeria. They fly to all the six geo-political zones of Nigeria to almost all the state capital with airports.

“IbomAir is the airline with the Youngest Fleet in Nigeria. It has a Fleet Size of seven Aircraft with an Average age of eight years made up of five CRJ and two Airbus A220.

“The second youngest fleet in Nigeria is Green Africa one of the two new Airlines in Nigeria.

Green Africa has three ATR planes with the average age of nine years.”

Uko, who gave an highlight of Arik Air said it was once the biggest airline in West Africa, which launched its operation with brand new Boeing B737 next generation aircraft, but recently after it was taken into administration by AMCON, its fleet got depleted to 18 with 14 active aircraft made up of one A319, four B737, four CRJ and four Dash 8 with an average age of 13 years.

He said that Air peace is the only airline that has a brand new plane in Nigeria. It actually has five of them (the E2) from Embraer.

He explained further that It has 30 aircraft as at January 21, 2022, of average of 18 Years made of four Airbus A320, 10 Boeing B737, two Boeing B777, eight Embraer Regional Jet E145 and five brand new E195 E2 and one Dornier Do-328. But it is about 20 planes that are currently in use.

“United Nigeria is the new start up airlines in Nigeria. It has five aircraft with an average age of 19 years made up one Airbus A320 and four Embraer E145 jets.

“Azman with seven aircraft with average age of 22 years; two of the aircraft are parked. The total fleet is made up of one Airbus A340 and six Boeing B737.

“Max Air has five active aircraft of average age of 22 years, three B737 and two Embraer 145

“Dana has seven aircraft made up of two Boeing B737 and four MD83 with two of them parked and one LearJet 45 at an average age of 25 years.

Aero Contractors, the oldest airline in Nigeria, has eight aircraft of which three are parked. They have an Airbus A320, six Boeing B737 and one Dash 8 with an Average age of 27 years.

“The Most Consistent Airline that has survived 10 Years with no problems in Nigeria is Overland. It has seven Aircraft, six ATR of which one is parked and one E145 with an average age of 28 Years.

“The Boeing B737 is still the most dominant aircraft in Nigeria but last year, the Airbus A320 can boast of being the bride of Nigerian Airlines as Air Peace, Green Africa, Arik and Aero got hold of the equipment

“The E145 came close to taking over with Air Peace Green Africa and Overland getting some copies.

The ATR were the main plane for Over Land until the arrival of Green Africa. They have taken over from the Dash 8 which was the most popular turbo props in Nigeria.

“The CRJ was used by Arik before the arrival of IbomAir in 2019. The CRJ carried IbomAir to its position of prominence in Nigeria. With the new order for more A220 its role might be reduced on the Nigerian airspace.” Uko added.

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