Overland Airways took delivery of two new ATR 42-600 turboprop aircraft on 5 June 2018, expanding a fleet that has focused on regional routes into smaller Nigerian airports typically bypassed by the country's larger jet operators.
Filling a Regional Gap
The airline's chairman, Captain Edward Boyo, said the new aircraft would be deployed on routes connecting Lagos to destinations such as Ibadan, Ilorin and other secondary airports, arguing that turboprop aircraft were better suited to the shorter runways and lower passenger volumes typical of those routes than the narrow-body jets favoured by larger domestic carriers.
Part of a Wider Regional Push
Industry analysts noted the delivery came as several Nigerian carriers weighed whether to add regional connectivity to smaller cities that had been underserved since the withdrawal of earlier operators from those routes. Overland said it planned to review further route additions once the new aircraft had completed several months of scheduled service.