The brand new Boeing 737-800 aircraft arrived at Arik Air’s hangar at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos on Friday, February 21, 2010, direct from Boeing Corporation in Seattle, U.S.A. The aircraft is the first of several brand new aircraft due for delivery to Arik Air throughout 2010. Christened ‘City of Calabar’, this latest aircraft brings to four the number of Boeing 737-800s that Arik Air operates. The first three Boeing 737-800s also arrived direct from Boeing, in March, June and November 2009 respectively.

Commenting on this latest aircraft to join the airline’s fleet, Arik Air’s Managing Director, Mr Jason Holt said: “Taking delivery of a new aircraft is always a momentous occasion for the airline. Because this aircraft is the first of our planned deliveries for 2010, its arrival is a particularly important milestone. The delivery also reinforces our widely known commitment to operate technologically advanced aircraft and maintain our leading position in the market.”

Detailing the new routes that would be served by the latest brand new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, Arik Air’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Suraj Sundaram explained: “This addition to our fleet will enable the airline to increase capacity on select domestic routes and introduce new routes within Africa, in response to the demands of our growing Nigerian and regional customer base. Our guests can feel reassured that they are flying the most modern fleet in the industry, both in terms of efficiency and comfort.”

The Boeing 737-800 is a new, stretched version of the older Boeing 737-400. It incorporates all the enhancements found on other members of the Next-Generation Boeing 737 family, including a redesigned passenger cabin, a flight deck featuring the most versatile display system offered on any commercial jetliner today while delivering superior levels of operating performance. The aircraft’s winglets, for example, help reduce noise on takeoff and help improve overall fuel efficiency. The Boeing 737-800 has a cruising speed of 855 kilometers per hour and range of 5,665 kilometers.

Arik Air’s brand new ‘City of Calabar’ is configured to carry 148 passengers, 16 in Business Class and 132 in Economy Class. It comes equipped with personalized in-flight entertainment in both cabins offering a choice of audio channels, Nollywood and international movies as well as a selection of short entertainment programming.

Arik Air is Nigeria’s leading commercial airline. It operates a fleet of 25 state-of-the art regional, medium haul and long haul aircraft. The airline serves 22 airports across Nigeria as well as Accra (Ghana), Banjul (Gambia), Cotonou (Benin), Dakar (Senegal), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Niamey (Niger), London Heathrow (UK), Johannesburg (South Africa) and New York JFK (USA).

The airline currently operates over 130 flights daily from its hubs in Lagos and Abuja.

It employs a workforce of more than 2,000.