Arik Air, West Africa’s leading airline, today announced further expansion of its regional African services with the inauguration of scheduled flights between Lagos and Monrovia, Liberia. The new service to Monrovia will commence on Thursday, August 12, 2010 and it will operate via Accra, Ghana.

Announcing the new services, Arik Air’s Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Chris Ndulue, said the new destination in the West Coast will be adding to the airline’s existing five to Cotonou (Benin), Accra (Ghana), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Banjul (Gambia) and Dakar (Senegal), thus strengthening Arik Air’s presence in the region and increasing to seven the number of destinations covered in Africa outside Nigeria.

According to Mr. Ndulue, “the commencement of flights between Lagos and the city of Monrovia is significant because it marks the end to years of limited air link between Nigeria and Liberia. The inauguration is coming at a time when the Liberian economy is beginning to benefit from infrastructure improvements and interest in the possibility of commercially exploitable offshore crude oil deposits along Liberia's Atlantic coast. Arik Air’s new services will help Nigeria and Liberia to foster even stronger economic ties and cement economic relations.”

Arik Air’s Chief Commercial Officer`, Mr. Suraj Sundaram said the airline is better positioned than any other West African airline to provide an extensive range of connections from Monrovia to Lagos via Accra and highlighted the importance of the airline’s Lagos-New York JFK service. Mr. Sundaram explained: “From Lagos, Arik Air offers connections to 18 destinations within Nigeria as well as daily services to London Heathrow and Johannesburg, a network that Arik Air guests in Liberia can now access conveniently. Arik Air is also aware of Liberia’s particularly close affinity with the United States. The airline’s non-stop Lagos-New York JFK services, introduced in November 2009, provides an attractive option for Arik Air guests to connect between Monrovia and the United States’ northeast corridor.”

Arik Air’s new services from Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport to Monrovia’s Roberts International Airport will operate via Accra (Ghana) twice weekly on Mondays and Thursdays using a state-of-art aircraft configured in comfortable Business and Economy Class.

Arik Air’s new services will depart Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 07:20am (local time), arrive Kotoka International Airport, Accra at 07:25am (local time) and depart Accra at 07:55am (local time) to arrive Roberts International Airport, Monrovia at 09:55am (local time). The flight will leave Monrovia at 10:25am (local time) to arrive Accra at 12:25pm (local time), depart Accra at 12:55pm (local time) to arrive Lagos at 15:00pm (local time).

Monrovia is Liberia’s commercial and administrative hub and a leading maritime centre. The city’s large port and long maritime history has meant that the country is now the registered home to more than 10% of the world’s merchant shipping fleet, under ‘Flags of Convenience’ agreements. Under-going reconstruction efforts following an end to conflict, the country has also resumed the export of iron ore and rubber.

Arik Air is Nigeria’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), London Heathrow (UK), Johannesburg (South Africa) and New York JFK (USA).

The airline currently operates over 120 flights daily from its hubs in Lagos and Abuja.