United Nigeria Airlines Has Made Giant Strides In 5 Years – Says Prof Okonkwo

One of Nigeria’s leading airlines, United Nigeria Airlines, has marked its five years of unprecedented growth in the aviation industry. 

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the Chairman, Prof Obiora Okonkwo, on Thursday 12th February, 2026, at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, reeled out the giant strides made by United Nigeria Airlines within the last five years of dedicated, exemplary and safety conscious service.

While highlighting the theme of the 5th anniversary celebration, “From Vision To Velocity – 5years of United growth: Charting The Next Frontiers”, Prof Okonkwo said,  “Today is not just a date on the calendar — it is a milestone in the journey of a dream that took flight five years ago”.

“On 12th February 2021, United Nigeria Airlines operated its very first flight from Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos to Akanu Ibiam Airport, Enugu. Today, we celebrate not only that flight, but the journey we have taken since then — the challenges we faced, the heights we reached, and the horizons we aim to conquer in the years ahead.”

Achievements

In five short years:

• We have grown from a single route vision and 4 narrow body aircraft to a multiple fleet of 10 aircraft, uniting 16 cities across Nigeria and now reaching our first regional destination in Ghana.

• We have carried millions of passengers safely, and in doing so, earned the trust of the Nigerian public and international partners.

• We became an IATA member, a recognition of our operational standards and commitment to global best practices, and IOSA certified in a record time of 2 years of operations, testament to our international safety standards.

• Alongside growth, we have built a team of dedicated aviation professionals who embody excellence, discipline, and service. These include but not limited to both cockpit and cabin crews, Engineers, dispatchers, ground officers, under graduates through our internship programmes etc. They all obtain world class training both in Nigeria and overseas.

This journey was not without its challenges. Nigeria’s aviation environment is complex — from covid-19 era shutdown, regulatory hurdles to infrastructure constraints, currency volatility to operational pressures. Yet, each challenge strengthened our resolve and sharpened our focus. Hence, we choose for this celebration the Theme; “From Vision to Velocity – 5years of United growth: Charting the Next Frontiers”

Introducing the Next Five Years

Today, we are proud to unveil the roadmap for the next five years.

Our ambition is clear: to transform United Nigeria Airlines from a leading national carrier into a recognized continental aviation powerhouse, with strategic regional, continental, and eventually intercontinental routes.

This roadmap is anchored on three pillars:

1. Excellence in Passenger Experience – We will continue to invest in modern aircraft, innovative inflight services, and customer-focused digital solutions.

2. Sustainable Growth & Partnerships – Expanding our network responsibly, leveraging strategic alliances, and growing our cargo and ancillary services.

3. Impact Beyond Aviation – Supporting communities, nurturing talent, and giving back through initiatives that extend beyond the airport and the skies.

Announcements

Today, I am thrilled to present three major initiatives amongst others that bring these pillars to life:

1. HARMONY – Our Inflight Magazine

• HARMONY is more than a magazine. It is a reflection of our passengers, our culture, and our commitment to keeping travelers informed and inspired. Through HARMONY, we aim to celebrate the people, destinations, and stories that make flying with United Nigeria Airlines a unique experience.

2. Unity Rewards – Our Loyalty Programme

• Loyalty is at the heart of our passenger experience. Unity Rewards is designed to reward frequent travelers, provide exclusive benefits, and strengthen the connection between our airline and our valued customers. This is our way of saying: we see you, we value you, and we celebrate your journeys with us.

3. UNA Foundation

• United Nigeria Airlines is more than a business — it is a force for positive impact. Through the UNA Foundation, we will support education, healthcare, aviation training, and community development programs across Nigeria. Our foundation embodies our belief that success is meaningful only when it uplifts society as a whole.

OTHERS

4. Additional Regional and Continental Routes

• We plan to start additional 6 regional and continental routes on or before the 2nd quarter of 2026. These routes include but not limited to Dakar, Monrovia, Johannesburg etc.

5. Intercontinental Routes

• Plans are in advance stage to commence international flights to Gulf states, Europe and America by summer 2026 everything being equal. These destinations include, Dubai, Jedah, Rome, New York, UK etc.

6. Fleet Expansion

• To add to our existing 10 Aircraft in our Opspec as at today, we have acquired six numbers of 737 – 800 NG from Southwest Aviation and finalising negotiations for additional 3 numbers of the same aircraft type all scheduled to be delivered before the end of 2nd quarter, starting from March 2026 when we take delivery of the first two aircraft. We had also leased 2 numbers A330 – 200 wide body aircraft to support our international operations from Anka Aviation Turkey, to be delivered between July and October 2026 with first delivery on 26th of July, amongst other aircraft acquisition negotiations that deliveries may mature beyond 2026.

7. MRO

• We have migrated from equivalent maintenance systems to AMO as a prelude to our MRO within the next 3 years.

8. New Corporate Office

• We plan to move to our new corporate office in Ikoyi Lagos within the year 2026.

9. Gratitude

• We remain eternally grateful to God almighty who in His mercy and kindness has given us the grace to overcome all odds to be where we are today, and our passengers who have been very loyal and committed to our services despite our short comings, the entire board members, management and staff of United Nigeria Airlines led-by the engine house, Mazi Osita Okonkwo ED/COO, who had become co-owners of the UNA vision and work tirelessly for the actualization.  All our OEM partners that are many to mention who have been patiently and meticulously showing us the way, especially Team Boeing, we look forward to bigger business opportunities.

• And to our financial partners, especially Zenith Bank Plc, Bank of Industry, Afriexim Bank etc, thank you for trusting and believing in us.

• Our special gratitude goes to The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace development, Mr. Festus Keyamo SAN, your commitment and infectious passion for the aviation industry and believe in Nigerian operators have been a strong source of strength.

• It is also worthy to appreciate Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) ably lead by The Director General, Capt. Chris Najomo for his consistent tradition of uncompromising professionalism in regulation and ease of doing business in Nigerian Aviation.

• To other aviation agencies, FAAN, NAMA, etc. thank you for your continuous cooperation.

“The fact remains that we may not have reached the apogee of standardization of our persistent clamour, but we can all bear witness to the fact that His Excellency, Ahmad Bola Tinubu, GCFR is determined to create a world class aviation sector evident in his administration’s reformative and business friendly policies, without which we would not have found the leverage for the exponential rise we have gathered to celebrate today. Thank you, Mr. President, from the bottom of my heart.”

“On the frontier of friendship, brotherhood and camaraderie, we have encountered some very remarkable individuals and operators in the course of our eventful sojourn in the Nigeria aviation industry. Sitting topmost on this roaster is my brother, friend and great ally Barr. Allen Onyema, (Ide Ihiala) the Chairman of Airpeace Airlines, and arguably Nigeria’s most successful aviation entrepreneur, whose trailblazing propensities account for why Nigeria still occupies any reckoning in the scheme of global air transport. His open-minded, free-spirited nature has ensured that we have learnt a lot from Airpeace, especially in the navigation of bold new terrains. In my view, he has indeed lived up to his billing as the “king of the skies” by the sheer generosity of his temperament. Ide!!!, I salute.”

“And to you ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you most sincerely. You have always been there for us and we don’t take it for granted. We look forward to more mutually beneficial relationship in years ahead.”

“My dear Colleagues, Valuable partners and Esteemed Friends.

Five years ago, this dream began as a vision. Today, it is a reality that we can all be proud of. The next five years will demand courage, innovation, and dedication — but I am confident that together, we will soar even higher.”

“As we celebrate our 5th anniversary, let us not only reflect on what we have achieved, but also embrace the limitless possibilities that lie ahead.”

“On behalf of the entire team at United Nigeria Airlines, once more, I thank our passengers, our partners, our regulators, financial partners and our incredible employees. You are the reason we have reached this milestone, and the reason we will reach even greater heights.

We surrender ourselves to God Almighty, to pilot us to another five years of growth, innovation, and harmony in the skies” the Chairman, Prof Okonkwo concluded.