Gateway Air (Abuja), the virtual carrier of Nigeria's Ogun State, was formally commissioned by Federal President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on April 4, with two CRJ900s operated by ValueJet (VK, Lagos), according to ch-aviation research.
The 12.1-year-old CRJ900ER 5N-CFA (msn 15312) flew its first rotation between Lagos and Iperu on April 3 and 4, while 13.8-year-old CRJ900LR 5N-CEY (msn 15285) was repositioned from Lagos to Iperu on April 3, ADS-B data revealed.
Both of the 89-seater former China Express Airlines (G5, Chongqing) regional jets have a two-class layout, with 86 seats in economy and three in business class.
According to Nigeria's Punch newspaper, Ogun State claims to own the aircraft.
"The aircraft are fully owned by the Ogun State government, while flight operations are being managed by ValueJet," it quoted state government spokesperson Emmanuel Ojo as saying.
He explained that the partnership followed a strategic decision by the government to avoid the complexities of running an airline operation.
"That arrangement makes strong economic and operational sense. Rather than burden the state with the immediate complexities of running a full airline operation from scratch, the government has wisely partnered with an indigenous operator that already has the technical expertise, regulatory experience, and operational structure required in the aviation industry," he explained.
ch-aviation has contacted ValueJet for comment.
ValueJet also operates two CRJ1000ERs leased from Aircraft Finance Germany on behalf of Cally Air (Calabar), the virtual carrier of the Cross River State government.
The launch of Gateway Air coincided with the commissioning of Iperu/Gateway International Airport and a cargo terminal by President Tinubu.
Meanwhile, according to social media reports, Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema announced plans to commence international flight operations from Ogun State this summer, to London.
