AfricaOne set for Lagos
Feb 14, 2003
AFRICAONE, a local airline, is set to fly to Lagos, Nigeria as part of a campaign to expand its operations on the continent.
By Grace Matsiko
AFRICAONE, a local airline, is set to fly to Lagos, Nigeria as part of a campaign to expand its operations on the continent.
The airline’s Chief Executive Director, Frederick Ochieng-Obbo said on Thursday, the airline’s operations to Nairobi, Kenya, shall remain suspended because their impact on the route have “been less than satisfactoryâ€.
“In addition to the Lagos route, which shall be operated by a widerbody aircraft, other routes to be added during the year shall include Johannesburg and Bombay,†Obbo said in a statement.
He said, the operations to Lagos shall enable the carrier to concentrate on building and strengthening its current operations to Dar-es-salaam, Kilimanjaro, Djibouti and Dubai by linking them to onward flights to Nigeria.
He said, initially the Nairobi route was suspended for operational reasons “specifically the crew shortages. Although we have now resolved those constraints, we have subsequently re-evaluated our performance on this sector and acknowledge that our impact on the route has been less than satisfactoryâ€.
“While the passenger growth has been steady and encouraging, it has also been at a much slower pace than projected and thus, remained the weakest performing route on the entire networkâ€.
He said the airline’s commitment to the Nairobi route remains and they are negotiating with other carriers including East African Airlines and Kenya Airways with a view to securing co-operative agreements under which they can continue to serve the route.
He said, the extension of the flights to Johannesburg and Bombay “shall be the first time Entebbe International Airport truly executes the role of a growing regional hub with a networked carrier extending direct flights to the major regional hubs on the continentâ€.
“AfricaOne would like to affirm its appreciation of the tremendous patronage received from all sectors of our region and continent, without which, such progressive initiatives would not be possible,†Obbo added.
Africaone was launched by President Yoweri Museveni on April 29, 2002 at Entebbe International Airport.
Founder members are Capt. Joe Roy, who is its chairman, former acting Alliance Air managing director, Ochieng-Obbo.
Others are, Valentine Tongo of Nigeria and Charles Heather, an aviation specialist.
The Airline is a joint venture between Dairo Air Services (DAS) of Uganda and entrepreneurs from Tanzania and Nigeria.
AFRICAONE, a local airline, is set to fly to Lagos, Nigeria as part of a campaign to expand its operations on the continent.
The airline’s Chief Executive Director, Frederick Ochieng-Obbo said on Thursday, the airline’s operations to Nairobi, Kenya, shall remain suspended because their impact on the route have “been less than satisfactoryâ€.
“In addition to the Lagos route, which shall be operated by a widerbody aircraft, other routes to be added during the year shall include Johannesburg and Bombay,†Obbo said in a statement.
He said, the operations to Lagos shall enable the carrier to concentrate on building and strengthening its current operations to Dar-es-salaam, Kilimanjaro, Djibouti and Dubai by linking them to onward flights to Nigeria.
He said, initially the Nairobi route was suspended for operational reasons “specifically the crew shortages. Although we have now resolved those constraints, we have subsequently re-evaluated our performance on this sector and acknowledge that our impact on the route has been less than satisfactoryâ€.
“While the passenger growth has been steady and encouraging, it has also been at a much slower pace than projected and thus, remained the weakest performing route on the entire networkâ€.
He said the airline’s commitment to the Nairobi route remains and they are negotiating with other carriers including East African Airlines and Kenya Airways with a view to securing co-operative agreements under which they can continue to serve the route.
He said, the extension of the flights to Johannesburg and Bombay “shall be the first time Entebbe International Airport truly executes the role of a growing regional hub with a networked carrier extending direct flights to the major regional hubs on the continentâ€.
“AfricaOne would like to affirm its appreciation of the tremendous patronage received from all sectors of our region and continent, without which, such progressive initiatives would not be possible,†Obbo added.
Africaone was launched by President Yoweri Museveni on April 29, 2002 at Entebbe International Airport.
Founder members are Capt. Joe Roy, who is its chairman, former acting Alliance Air managing director, Ochieng-Obbo.
Others are, Valentine Tongo of Nigeria and Charles Heather, an aviation specialist.
The Airline is a joint venture between Dairo Air Services (DAS) of Uganda and entrepreneurs from Tanzania and Nigeria.