Arik Air, West Africa’s largest commercial carrier, continued its steady growth in passenger figures through its entire network ending year 2010 with a total 2, 302, 758 passengers. This represents a 15% increase over the 2009 figure.

The month of December 2010 was exceptional for the airline as it carried 241,700 passengers. A major milestone recorded during the yuletide season was the daily passenger record which peaked at 10, 164 passengers on Thursday, December 23, 2010, the highest ever since the airline started operations in 2006.

Arik Air’s Executive Vice President/Managing Director, Mr. Chris Ndulue explained that one factor which contributed to the increase in the number of guests carried at the end of 2010 was the airline's response to the high level of seasonal demand before and after the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

The airline’s Senior Vice President Commercial, Mr. Kevin Steele elaborated on the performance: “Offering services to 27 destinations within and outside Nigeria, Arik Air was able to bring more Nigerian families together during the festive season than any other carrier. The year-to-year figures have been very encouraging and underscore the phenomenal growth of our airline in less than five years of operation".

Arik Air has now carried a cumulative total of 6.27m passengers in its four years of operation from October 30, 2006 to December 31, 2010.

Arik Air is West Africa’s leading commercial airline. It now operates a fleet of 26 state-of-the art regional, medium haul and long haul aircraft. The airline currently serves 22 airports across Nigeria as well as Accra (Ghana), Banjul (Gambia), Cotonou (Benin), Dakar (Senegal), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Monrovia (Liberia), London Heathrow (UK), Johannesburg (South Africa) and New York JFK (USA).

The airline currently operates over 150 flights daily from its hubs in Lagos and Abuja.