Yemisi Izuora
Arik Air, one of the leading carriers in West Africa has said that it will resume flight operations from Lagos to Freetown, Sierra Leone on Tuesday, February 23, 2016.
Flights from Lagos to Freetown were suspended in July 2014 at the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)in some West African nations.
It will be recalled that Sierra Leone was declared free of Ebola by the World Health Organisation in November, 2015, after it had claimed over the 4,000 lives.
The decision to re-commence flight operations on the route was made known in an online statement signed by Arik Air’s, Public Relations and Communications Manager, Mr Adebanji Ola.
The planned resumed service, he explained would entail a new schedule with flights from Lagos to Freetown and will now be routed via Accra, Ghana.
He further stated that there would be a three weekly flight to be operated on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday using a Boeing 737-800 Next Generation (NG) aircraft configured to carry 20 Business Class and 126 Economy Class passengers and that outbound flights will depart Lagos at 7:20 am and arrive Accra at 7:20 am and that the flight then departs Accra at 8:05 am and arrives in Freetown at 10:30 am.
The inbound flight, he said leaves Freetown at 11:15 am and arrives Accra at 1:40 pm and that the flight then continues onto Lagos, leaving Accra at 2:25 pm to arrive into Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 4:25 pm, adding that all times are local.
Arik Air made its foray into Freetown in June 2009 and had operated uninterrupted until July 2014.
Speaking on the planned resumption of flight to Freetown, Arik Air’s Managing Director, Mr. Chris Ndulue, said, “Arik Air is the dominant carrier in West and Central Africa and air travelers in this region look up to us to fly them to their destinations. We want to assure our loyal customers on the Lagos-Freetown route that we are back to deliver the safe, secure and reliable services that are the hallmark of Arik Air.”