Originally planned for June 24th, Nigerian startup airline Green Africa Airways has delayed its launch. The carrier has temporarily suspended bookings as its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) will not be issued until July “due to unforeseen circumstances.”
The airline is likely to begin flying in late July or August instead due to the AOC complication.
In a statement, Green Africa Airways mentions “future dates starting August 2021”, which would suggest the airline doesn’t plan to start flying until August. However, the airline has not officially confirmed whether or not it has a new, firm launch date penciled in and could possibly begin flying in July.
Babawande Afolabi, Founder and CEO of Green Africa said,“This is certainly a bump in the road, and we are mindful of the impact especially on our customers and other stakeholders. However, we are confident of the NCAA’s support and commitment to get Green Africa into service, and we have also put plans in place to compensate our affected customers.”
Green Africa Airways has temporarily suspended bookings on its website in light of events. Offering a network of domestic flights around Nigeria (Akure, Ilorin, Abuja, Enugu, Owerri, and Port Harcourt) out of its Lagos hub, Green Africa Airways had already sold fares for its initial launch date of June 24th.
With the launch pushed back by at least a month, the airline will contact any customers who have already booked flights to arrange re-bookings or compensation. Additionally, ticket holders will be permitted to rebook their flights at no extra cost to future dates “starting August 2021.”
The airline also added, “Further, in appreciation of the trust from the airline’s early customers and in recognition of the inconvenience of rebooking, each customer will receive an automated email with 50% of the value of their booking in a credit shell within 7 days. This can be used to purchase another ticket with Green Africa.”
With a network of seven destinations so far, Green Africa Airways plans to increase this to up to 15 routes by December 2022. In 2020, the airline signed a Memorandum of Understanding with for 50 A220-300 aircraft.
The Green Africa Airways fleet presently consists of three ATR72-600 turboprop aircraft, all acquired on lease from ACIA Aero. The airline has ambitious plans to become “one of the largest operators” of the ATR72-600 over the next 18 months by expanding its fleet to 15 aircraft by the end of 2022.
