Airlines

Virgin Nigeria - airline information

General information

Virgin Nigeria is a low cost carrier based in Lagos, Nigeria.

The carrier was launched as part of billionaire Sir Richard Branson's empire, headquartered in Nigeria, taking advantage of the major opportunities of the emerging Central African air travel market.

The company owns just about a dozen planes, operating from its only hub, Murtala International Airport near Lagos, the capital of Nigeria.

Aiming at the low cost air travel segment, Virgin Nigeria sells cheap airline tickets to a large variety of African destinations, including domestic Nigerian cities and Europe. The company wishes to serve routes to the USA as well.

This airline is actually taking the place of a defunct local airline called Nigeria Airways.

Virgin Nigeria flies medium and large size aircraft as well. It is one of the very few low cost carriers to use Airbus A340s, on long haul flights, of course, from Nigeria to Europe.

Fact sheet

General company information...
Official name:	Virgin Nigeria Airways
Slogan(s):	-
IATA designator:	VK
ICAO designator:	VGN
Headquarters:	Lagos, Nigeria
Alliance:	None
Destinations...
Hubs:	Murtala Mohammed International Airport - Lagos, Nigeria
Focus cities, regions, secondary hubs:	-
Number of destinations:	11
Fleet & flights-related...
Fleet size:	10
Aircraft types used:	Airbus A330, Airbus A340 Boeing 737 Fokker 50
Accidents & incidents:	None
Passengers-related...
Number of passengers:	-
Classes:	None
Frequent flyer program:	eagleflier
Other important issues: - Virgin Nigeria is Africa's biggest low cost airline - The company started off exclusively with leased aircraft from other carriers

Destinations

The airline sells airline tickets to the following African destinations (to some of these places operations have started recently):

Accra (Ghana)

Abidjan (Ivory Coast/Cote D'Ivoire)

Abuja (Nigeria)

Bamako (Mali)

Brazzaville (Congo)

Calabar (Nigeria)

Dakar (Senegal)

Douala (Cameroon)

Enugu (Nigeria)

Freetown (Sierra Leone)

Johannesburg (South Africa)

Kano (Nigeria)

Lagos (Nigeria)

Libreville (Gabon/Gabun)

London (UK)

Luanda (Angola)

Maiduguri (Nigeria)

Monrovia (Liberia)

Owerri (Nigeria)

Port Harcourt (Nigeria)

Yola

Fleet

Virgin Nigeria uses a mixed fleet consisting of the following types of airplanes: Airbus A340s (2 of them operate on long haul flights), Airbus A330s, Boeing 737s and a single Fokker 50 (this airplane is not longer in production).

All airplanes are leased from various airlines like: bmi, Virgin Atlantic Airways, GECAS, Denim Air.

Until 2010, new acquisitions are planned in order to reach a number of about 50 airplanes. 40 new purchases are planned. However, its' still unclear what types of planes will be purchased.

Activity & market position

The company is owned 49 % by Virgin Atlantic Airways, which is part of the immense business empire of billionaire British businessman, Sir Richard Branson. The majority, 51 % of the shares are in the hands of various Nigerian investors.

The British side has dominant position, being the biggest stakeholder (with 49 %).

Virgin Nigeria is currently aiming at the strong North American air travel market, specifically at airports like the Newark International Airport near New York city, George Bush International Airport in Houston, Texas and the Washington DC. But, the USA has not granted the company the permit to operate on US territory, due to a dispute with the British side. The Nigerian government has retaliated by denying Continental Airlines' the right to operate direct flights between Nigeria and the USA.

Negotiations are still being conducted in order to establish a direct flight path between Nigeria and the USA, served by Virgin Nigeria Airways.

At this time, only charter flights are being operated between Nigeria and the USA.

Last modified/updated: April 3, 2007