Nigeria Airways

Nigeria Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Nigeria Airways, is a defunct Nigerian airline. The company was founded in 1958 after the dissolution of West African Airways Corporation. It was wholly owned by the Government of Nigeria, and served as the country's flag carrier. :51 The carrier was headquartered in Abuja. :50 The airline logo consisted of the Nigerian flag with a green elephant named Skypower in its centre.

The airline was managed by a number of foreign companies, including British Airways, KLM and South African Airways. It had its heyday in the early 1980s, just after a KLM team two-year-management period; at that time its fleet comprised about 30 aircraft. It ceased operations in 2003. Plagued of mis-management, corruption, and overstaffing, at the time of closure the airline had debts for more than US$60000000 2003, a poor safety record, and its operative fleet comprised a single aircraft flying domestic routes as well as two leased aircraft operating the international network. It was succeeded by Virgin Nigeria.

Early years
The airline came into being on August 23, 1958 under the name West African Airways Corporation Nigeria Limited (WAAC Nigeria), otherwise known as Nigerian Airways WAAC, to succeed the folded West African Airways Corporation (WAAC); the title “WAAC” was retained due to the prestige this company had previously earned. :51  Initially, the carrier was a tripartite entity in which the Nigerian government was the major shareholder (51%), and Elder Dempster Lines and BOAC held the balance (32⅔ and 16⅓, respectively). :51 WAAC Nigeria inherited the assets and liabilities of WAAC, having a fleet comprised by Doves, Herons, and DC-3s.

Operations started on October 1, 1958, with a BOAC Stratocruiser operated on behalf of the new airline linking London with Lagos. The same day, WAAC Nigeria signed an agreement with BOAC to charter Stratocruisers and Britannias for serving long-haul flights between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

In early 1961, Nigeria became the only owner of the company. On January 22, 1971, the company was rebranded as Nigeria Airways. :51

In late 1972, a contract for management assistance was signed with TWA, with the American carrier providing specialists in different managerial, commercial, and financial fields for five years. When the agreement concluded, a similar contract was signed with KLM in September 1979, this time for a period of two years. :332

Demise
The carrier had accumulated significant debts that outstripped its revenues virtually from the mid-1980s. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) was commissioned by the Nigerian Government in 2000 to assist in the process of reestructuration and privatisation of the airline. Among three options, one of them was to partner with a large European airline; Air France, Lufthansa and Swissair were all considered. Other option was to liquidate the carrier. A fleet comprising 32 aircraft in 1984 gradually depleted to a three-strong at that time. The IFC withdrew from its advisory position in 2001 citing the unwillingness of both the company and the government to carry out the necessary measures that would make the airline attractive to potential investors. Likewise, there were various allegations claiming the airline's failure was accelerated by former Nigerian rulers who looted and mismanaged the company.

In 1997 the UK Civil Aviation Authority banned the airline from operating into its territory citing safety concerns; the Nigerian government replied banning British Airways operations. The United Kingdom cited safety concerns again in 2001 when it refused to allow Nigeria Airways to operate the Lagos–London route, this time regarding the Boeing 747 that was leased from Air Djibouti to fly the route.

The carrier ceased operations in 2003. The Nigerian government later came to an agreement with Virgin Atlantic Airways to found Virgin Nigeria Airways, intended as a replacement, yet the ground facilities of the folded Nigeria Airways were eventually taken over by Arik Air.

Destinations
At the time of closure the Nigeria Airways network consisted of four domestic destinations, namely Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt; likewise, the international network comprised Abidjan, Dubai, Jeddah, London and New York. :51

Fleet
BOAC operated Vickers VC-10 services on behalf of Nigeria Airways from April 1964 until an aircraft of the type was acquired from the British state airline in October 1969; the airplane was destroyed in an accident in November that year. Until a new Boeing 707-320C entered the fleet in 1971, Boeing 707s were leased from Laker Airways and Ethiopian Airlines as a replacement of the crashed aircraft for serving the Lagos–London route. Another Boeing 707-320C was ordered in 1972, along with two Boeing 737-200s. In October the same year, the Fokker F28 entered the fleet on a lease agreement with Fokker, and later that year the type was ordered. By March 1975, the fleet consisted of two Boeing 707-320Cs, two Boeing 737-200s, three Fokker F28s, five Fokker F27s, and one Aztec, while five F28-2000s were on order.

In October 1976, the company became the 83rd customer for the Boeing 727, when an order for two Boeing 727-200s and another Boeing 707-320C was placed; it also took possession of a Douglas DC-10-30. Orders for a second DC-10-30 and two F28-4000s were placed in 1977 and 1978, respectively. By July 1980, the fleet consisted of 26 aircraft, split into three Boeing 707-320C, two Boeing 727-200s, two Boeing 737-200s, two DC-10-30s, two F27-200s, two F27-400Ms, four F27-600s, six F28-2000s, two F28-4000s, and one Aztec. :332

Nigeria Airways became Airbus' 40th customer in 1981, when it placed an order for four Airbus A310-200; these aircraft were incorporated into the fleet in late 1984/early 1985. Also in 1981, four new Boeing 737-200s were ordered to replace leased aircraft of the same type in a deal worth US$ 65,000,000; they were delivered in February 1983.

In 1982, a Boeing 747 was leased from Scanair; the aircraft was deployed on services to the United Kingdom, permitting the DC-10s to be used on new routes to Frankfurt, Paris, and Zurich. Following an accident occurred in November 1983 that involved a Fokker F28, the carrier decided to withdraw from service its F27 and F28 fleet. The fleet was 22-strong in March 1985, comprised by two DC-10-30s, four Airbus A310s, three Boeing 707-320Cs, two Boeing 727-200s, ten Boeing 737-200s, and one Boeing 737-200C; two Boeing 737-200s were on order.

The carrier operated the last DC-10 ever built, on lease from World Airways.

Historic Fleet
The airline operated the following equipment throughout its history:


 * Airbus A300B4
 * Airbus A310-200
 * Aztec
 * BAC One-Eleven 400
 * Boeing 377 Stratocruiser
 * Boeing 707-120
 * Boeing 707-120B
 * Boeing 707-320
 * Boeing 707-320B
 * Boeing 707-320C
 * Boeing 707-420
 * Boeing 727-100
 * Boeing 727-200
 * Boeing 737-200
 * Boeing 737-400
 * Boeing 747-100
 * Boeing 747-200B
 * Boeing 747-200C
 * Boeing 747-200F
 * Boeing 747-300
 * Boeing 767-200ER
 * Boeing 767-300ER
 * Britannia 100
 * Comet :172
 * Douglas C-47A
 * Douglas DC-3
 * Douglas DC-8-30
 * Douglas DC-8-50
 * Douglas DC-8-60
 * Dove
 * Fokker F27-200
 * Fokker F27-400
 * Fokker F27-600
 * Fokker F-28-1000
 * Fokker F-28-2000
 * Fokker F-28-4000
 * Heron
 * McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10
 * McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30
 * Vickers VC-10
 * Vickers Viscount 810

Accidents and incidents
Aviation Safety Network records 16 events for the airline, eight of which led to fatalities. The worst accident experienced by the carrier took place on July 11, 1991, when 261 people were killed in an accident at King Abdulaziz International Airport. The following list includes events that had reported fatalities, carried with the hull-loss of the equipment involved, or both.