• Receives wet-leased aircraft for Lagos-Abuja operations
Dana Air has hinted at plans to go into a codeshare partnership with ASKY Airlines, beginning with the current pact on its Lagos-Abuja operations.All things being equal, the partnerships will increase the airlines’ fleet by 10 airplanes , with Dana Air also marketing on Asky’s operations, and vice versa.
Under the current deal with the Lome based carrier, Dana Air on Monday received a wet-leased Boeing 737-700 aircraft from Asky.
Chief Operating Officer of Dana, Obi Mbanuzor, said the new addition to its fleet would offer very early flight services out of Abuja to Lagos and late returns on the same route.
The agreement also avails Dana the opportunity to have an aircraft on the 7am schedule and the deal further acts as a buffer for the airline as two of its McDonnell Douglas (MD83) are currently undergoing C-Check in France with one scheduled back at the end of the month. Mbanuzor said: ”We announced in February that we are entering partnership with Asky. It involved so many things and the partnership people are already seeing the fruition. The initial partnership has various levels and what you are seeing now is the aircraft leasing aspect of the partnership, where Asky will provide us with aircraft.
“For this partnership, Asky is partnering with three Boeing 737-700 aircraft. There will initially be three flying at different times. It’s a complex wet lease operation and so they will provide an aircraft, they may take it and put another in the system. There is also a 737-800 as well, all being used interchangeably. As time goes on, this partnership will help our staff get acquainted and trained with the 737-700 aircraft type. Without going deep, it is part of what we are looking at in furtherance of this partnership,” Mbanuzor said.
Mbanuzor, however, clarified that the deal had nothing to do with Ethiopian Airline, which is Asky’s parent airline.”I can tell you that we have had no discussion with Ethiopian Airlines; we had zero discussions with them. Even in terms of the aircraft, this is strictly between Dana Air and Asky. For now, it’s an aircraft lease agreement and what we are getting in return. We are getting the aircraft, and we are giving the standard economic remuneration for that.
“I repeat, this has nothing to do with Ethiopian Airlines and if there is anythingAsky is doing with Ethiopian Airlines, it is on their own level. The interline and codeshare, once we sign it, is also between us and Asky.”
