Nigeria's newest airline prepares for take-off as storm clouds gather
The nation's leading carrier was recently taken over by the government to prevent it from collapsing. A crumbling runway closed the capital's international airport for six weeks. The whole sector has been battered by Nigeria's recession that has driven up costs and made foreign currency scarce.
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But despite the gloomy conditions, a new and ambitious airline is being cleared for take-off.
JetWest could make its maiden voyage in December, and the team behind it is aiming high.
'Democratise the skies'
The venture's founder is Mr Dikko Nwachukwu, a serial entrepreneur with a background in aviation. His mission statement is simple: "The guiding vision for JetWest is to make air travel accessible for more people." According to him, "We are about democratising the skies." Just 15.2 million passengers passed through Nigerian airports in 2016, according to official statistics.
Mr Nwachukwu sees opportunity in the vast market unserved by existing airlines. Nigeria has by far the largest population in Africa, and the entrepreneur draws inspiration from rapid progress in another technology field.
"We want to do for travel what cell phones did for telecoms," he says bullishly. "Fifteen years ago, there were less than one million phone lines in Nigeria and now there are 100 million. We could have 100 million (air) travellers, and I know JetWest will be in the middle of the revolution."
Future facing
Such consumers may also be attracted to the airline's core selling point: value. JetWest will offer a pared-down service "more Easyjet than Etihad" at rock-bottom prices.
JetWest aims to project a fresh and vibrant image. The company's social media accounts are already trailing colourful cocktails and memes ahead of launch, aimed at youthful, savvy consumers.
"We will cut out everything not core to the business and focus on getting fliers from A to B," says Mr Nwachukwu. "Beyond that, we will have unbundled services so customers can pick and choose what they want," he adds.
Given the high cost and risk involved in launching a fleet in Nigeria's current economic climate, the entrepreneur is mindful of the need to find efficiencies. He suggests the company might pool resources with other airlines.
More ambitiously, the business model will rely on innovation. JetWest is developing its own proprietary technologies in-house, drawing on the best talent from Nigeria's renowned start-up scene in a conscious effort to boost local industry as well to avoid costly rental equipment. The company intends to eventually supply technology to other airlines.—cnn/GB