Nigeria’s leading airline, Overland Airways late 2024 commenced an ambitious project to connect African markets in the spirit of the African Union’s Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) initiative with the launch of direct flights from Lagos to Freetown, Sierra Leone and Lagos to Banjul, The Gambia.
As a premium brand, Overland Airways outreach to Freetown and Banjul aims to connect these cities with convenient flight services, with shorter connecting times and more direct connections. As a statement of its intent, Overland Airways has deployed its latest aircraft the brand-new Embraer E-175 jet aircraft on these routes.
Apart from being in alignment with the airline’s commitment to the SAATM initiative that aims to liberalise the African aviation industry, transforming it into a single market by deregulating air services and opening regional air markets to transnational competition, Overland Airways’ new flight services are the beginning of an organically thought-out service expansion that will see the airline launch services to destinations across West Africa and Central Africa.
According to Overland Airways, its Lagos to Freetown flights, which was launched on December 19, 2024, will operate as a direct flight departing “from Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.” Meanwhile the Lagos to Banjul flight inaugurated on December 21, 2024 will connect through Freetown and offer the shortest connecting time and the fewest number of stops in the market. Flight days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The airline says both routes will be operated using its “brand-new Embraer E-175 jet aircraft, featuring dual-class seating with spacious legroom.” With these new routes, Managing Director of Overland Airways, Capt. Edward Boyo, who is also the SAATM Ambassador for West Africa, said through the new routes Overland Airways “reinforces its position as a leading African carrier, committed to providing safe, reliable, and convenient air travel across West Africa.
Overland Airways service offering has evolved from an all-turboprop fleet to a mixed fleet with the introduction of brand-new Embraer E175 jets. In August 2024, in line with its strategic plan, Overland Airways commenced direct flight services between Lagos and Abuja and in October 2024 renewed its IOSA certification for the 5th consecutive time, reaffirming its position as a leading African carrier.