Abuja-
As the largest operator of the An-38-100 and the launch customer and sole operator of the new An-38-200 variant, Royal Nigerian is partnering with Ukraine's Antonov company to help market the aircraft. "If you run a small domestic operation like we do serving two international and twelve regional airports across a modest sized nation like Nigeria, the An-38 really can not be a better fit", said Royal Nigerian CEO and Russian expatriate Nadia Zelenkova. "The original An-28 model was designed to bring cargo and people to the remote regions of the Soviet Union, built to land on short runways in rugged conditions. This is perfect for operations in Africa and other underdeveloped locations.
We are especially pleased with the latest 200 variant as with modern Omsk TVD-20 engines range and payload are drastically increased which allows us to carry even more passengers and cargo across the entire region from Burkina Faso to Cameroon." As shining examples the airline has pointed to recent acquisitions 5N-ANO and 5N-ANN. Both aircraft have been in service for less than six months and both serve a similar 4-route domestic schedule. ANO averages an 85% passenger load factor while ANN averages 94% in cargo loads, both earn over $100,000 per week in profits even after the expense of leasing brand new airframes. "These aircraft have served us so very well we wish to encourage other airlines to support this model", stated Zelenkova.
Antonov has assured it's only customer the lines will remain open even as their current expansion plans are winding down for the next several months as the new base in Lagos is established. The venerable old designer of unsung Soviet workhorses stands ready to support Royal Nigerian's future plans for at least two more domestic hubs.