Skypower Pt3: Air Nigeria to the Rescue?

Few countries have been so poorly administered as Nigeria, and Nigerian aviation history is chock full of failed airlines and failed attempts to rehabilitate failing airlines. By 1992 Nigeria Airways was a right mess, racked by corruption and owing more than US$100 million. There was hope though that it could be turned around and a radical proposal to split the airline and create Air Nigeria for a brief time looked like it might be the answer.

For the first two parts of this blog series see:

• Skypower Pt1: WAAC to VC10s
• Skypower Pt2: DC-10s to A310s
  

Nigeria Airways McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 5N-ANN Witty Wings 1:400 Scale Model Airliner

Just this month Arik Air has been taken over by the Nigerian government, but you'd have to be a fool to think that they have a clue what to do with an airline given their history. The national carrier Nigeria Airways was turned into such a disaster zone that its survival into the 2000s was a staggering indictment, not to mention an improbable feat. It didn't have to be that way however and there were several plausible opportunities when Skypower could have been saved. Air Nigeria was perhaps one of these.

DC-10 5N-ANN wore three versions of the Nigeria scheme

A 1990 timetable from the collection of Bjorn Larsson of timetableimages.com

In January 1992 Captain Mohammed Joji was appointed as CEO of the national airline by General Ibrahim Babangida, the President of the then military government. He had previously worked with British Airways and on his return to Nigeria had setup Skypower Express Airways. Joji's idea was to setup a new airline, Air Nigeria. This would not replace Nigeria Airways but instead takeover its international services to London, New York, Rome, Jeddah and Johannesburg. Nigeria Airways would continue to operate domestic and regional services. I assume the thought was that the new airline untouched by debt and the institutional decay of the original would be able to operate effectively and gradually assist in paying off the debts of the old Nigeria Airways. Then again it could have just been another method to siphon off cash!

Joji hired a British consultant, Keith Bolshaw, who worked with Swissair and SABENA to get the new carrier up and running. The foreign partners would own 40% of the new Air Nigeria, the government 40% and staff and public shareholders 20%. The proposal was presented at the African Airline Association meeting in 1992 and apparently was well received, more so than Kenya Airways rehabilitation scheme.

5N-ANN wearing the short-lived Air Nigeria scheme with Eagle motif at Faro in March 1994. I don't think she ever wore Air Nigeria titles however. Photo by Pedro Aragão from Wikipedia

Back in Nigeria the new airline was to lease Nigeria Airways 4 remaining widebodies (2 DC-10s and 2 A310s) and pay Nigeria Airways US$1 million a month for them. The new airline had also begun to recruit 100 graduates for new cabin crew. Unfortunately the new plans collapsed almost as soon as they were forming, with unrest from Nigeria Airways powerful unions as well as from within the government itself. The new airline's timing was also unfortunately coincidental with the fall of General Ibrahim Babangida, who had impressively taken part in no less than 6 coups before then!

After the presidential election result was annulled when he didn't win, Babaginda oversaw a decline towards anarchy, which by the end of August 1993 saw the country's economy basically stop. Babaginda finally stepped down and another General swiftly seized power. This anarchy in the government had a knock on effect on the national airline and Joji was replaced by Andrew Agom. Agom quickly withdrew any plans to setup Air Nigeria and the farce at Nigeria Airways was allowed to continue. The Air Nigeria idea got as far as the repaint of at least one of the DC-10s and one of the A310s into a smart new dark green scheme. Following the collapse of the concept the DC-10 was repainted by 1995 into the old Nigeria Airways scheme albeit with the green N and eagle logo rather than the elephant. Of the widebodies only the last DC-10, 5N-ANN, and one of the A310s saw any major usage into the late 90s.

A310-222 5N-AUH also got to wear the short-lived scheme. Photos by Pedro Aragão from Wikipedia

Joji was later accused of misappropriating over $11.5 million of Nigeria Airways funds. Given this was Nigeria it would be amazing if he hadn't have been corrupt in some way! Perhaps his was just another attempt to steal all along? Anyway by March 1995 the entire international fleet of the carrier was grounded and Agom's position was under serious scrutiny itself. Various proposals were being put forward, including a modified version of the Air Nigeria scheme, but instead seemingly without much of a plan the government sacked the entire management team in October. At the same time they planned to merge the Federal Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigeria Airports Authority. The new managing director, Grp Capt. Peter N Gana of the Nigerian air force, had a thankless task with by then the fleet reduced to one DC-10, one A310 and three 737-200s (two of which crashed within a year).

The deregulation of the Nigeria air market was another nail in the coffin of the flag carrier, although a lot of the competition itself was often a basket case. By 1998 Nigeria Airways barely functioned but a deal with British Airways to resume services to Heathrow using one of BA's 747s wet-leased offered a lifeline. This was yet another false dawn however and the service was over by August 2000. All but dead but not knowing it Nigeria Airways struggled on until 2003. Since then various other carriers have tried to take up the mantle of flag carrier but even once successful airlines like Arik Air seem unable to escape the general malaise surrounding doing business in Nigeria.

A sad state of affairs. The Nigeria Airways fleet in a sorry state at Lagos in 2005. Two A310s including 5N-AUH still in her Eagle livery plus the DC-10 5N-ANN are present. Photo by Konstantin von Wedelstaedt from Wikipedia

References

Guttery, B. Encyclopaedia of African Airlines
1995, March. Nigeria airs its options. Flight Global
1995, October. New broom sweeps Nigeria Airways. Flight Global
1998, November. Nigeria back to London. Flight Global
2014, August. Nigeria Airways: The missed opportunities. Vanguard Nigeria