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Aero Contractors (Nigeria)
Encyclopedia
Aero Contractors Company of Nigeria Ltd, knwon as Aero Contractors or simply "Aero", is a Nigeria
n airline
based at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja
, Lagos State
, Nigeria. It operates domestic and international scheduled services, air charter
and third party aircraft operations, largely in support of Nigeria's extensive oil and gas industry.
of the Netherlands. It became a company with initially 40% Nigerian holding in 1973 and subsequently 60% in 1976, anticipating the requirements of the Indigenization Decree. In January 2004, Schreiner Airways was bought by Canadian Helicopter Corporation (CHC) which acquired a 40% holding in Aero while the 60% majority share remained within the Ibru family. Since 2010 the company has been wholly owned by the Ibru family, although Aero still has a technical partnership with CHC regarding its rotary wing division.
Aero Contractors has two divisions:
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja
Ikeja
Ikeja is an outer-ring suburb of the city of Lagos and capital of Lagos State. It is also one of Nigeria's 774 Local Government Areas . The Murtala Mohammed International Airport is located there...
, Lagos State
Lagos State
Lagos State is an administrative division of Nigeria, located in the southwestern part of the country. The smallest in area of Nigeria's states, Lagos State is the most populous state in Nigeria and arguably the most economically important state of the country and west Africa, containing Lagos, the...
, Nigeria. It operates domestic and international scheduled services, air charter
Air charter
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats...
and third party aircraft operations, largely in support of Nigeria's extensive oil and gas industry.
History
Aero Contractors was formed in 1959, officially registered in Nigeria in 1960 and, at that time, wholly owned by Schreiner Airways B.V.Schreiner Airways
Schreiner Airways was a charter, passenger and cargo airline based in the Netherlands. It was an offshore helicopter operator which was founded in 1945. The various flight operations were split amongst several companies of the Schreiner Aviation Group, such as Schreiner Airways, Schreiner North Sea...
of the Netherlands. It became a company with initially 40% Nigerian holding in 1973 and subsequently 60% in 1976, anticipating the requirements of the Indigenization Decree. In January 2004, Schreiner Airways was bought by Canadian Helicopter Corporation (CHC) which acquired a 40% holding in Aero while the 60% majority share remained within the Ibru family. Since 2010 the company has been wholly owned by the Ibru family, although Aero still has a technical partnership with CHC regarding its rotary wing division.
Aero Contractors has two divisions:
- Fixed Wing – provides scheduled passenger services in Nigeria and western Africa.
- Rotary Wing – provides helicopter services for the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.
Destinations
Aero serves the following destinations:- Ghana
- AccraAccraAccra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
(Kotoka International AirportKotoka International AirportKotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, is the country's premier international airport and has the capacity for large aircraft such as the Boeing 747-800...
)
- Accra
- Nigeria
- AbujaAbujaAbuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...
(Nnamdi Azikiwe International AirportNnamdi Azikiwe International AirportNnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is an international airport located in Abuja, FCT, Nigeria, and is the main airport serving the Nigerian capital city. It was named after Nigeria's first President, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. It consists of an international and a domestic terminal. Both terminals...
) - Benin CityBenin CityBenin City, is a city and the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria. It is a city approximately twenty-five miles north of the Benin River. It is situated 200 miles by road east of Lagos...
(Benin AirportBenin AirportBenin Airport is an airport serving Benin, a city in the Edo State of Nigeria.-Airlines and destinations:...
) - CalabarCalabarCalabar is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Atakpa, from the Jukun language....
(Magaret Ekpo International Airport) - KanoKanoKano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 sq.km and comprises six Local Government Area - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a...
(Aminu Kano Airport) - EnuguEnuguEnugu is the capital of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in the southeastern area of Nigeria and is largely populated by members of the Igbo ethnic group. The city has a population of 722,664 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. The name Enugu is derived from the two Igbo words Enu Ugwu...
(Akanu Ibiam International Airport) - LagosLagosLagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
(Murtala Mohammed International AirportMurtala Mohammed International AirportMurtala Muhammed International Airport is an international airport located in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is the major airport serving the city of Lagos, southwestern Nigeria and the entire nation. Originally known as Lagos International Airport, it was renamed midway during construction...
) Hub - OwerriOwerriOwerri is the capital of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of the Igboland. Owerri consists of three Local Govern Areas including Owerri Municipal, Owerri North and Owerri West, it has an estimated population of about 400,000 as of 2006...
(Imo Airport) - Port Harcourt
- (Port Harcourt NAF BasePort Harcourt NAF BasePort Harcourt NAF Base is located in Port Harcourt, a city in the Rivers State of Nigeria. It is a base owned by the Nigerian Air Force. It gained popularity as a commercial destination due to the closure of Port Harcourt International Airport. After that airport reopened, most airlines abandoned...
) - (Port Harcourt International AirportPort Harcourt International AirportPort Harcourt International Airport is an international airport located in Omagwa, a suburb of Port Harcourt city in Rivers State, Nigeria. The airport consists of a single terminal with separate facilities for international and domestic flights...
)
- (Port Harcourt NAF Base
- UyoUyoUyo is a city in south-eastern Nigeria and is the capital of Akwa Ibom State, a major oil producing state of Nigeria. The city became a capital of Akwa Ibom State on September 23, 1987 following the creation of the state from Cross River State....
(Akwa Ibom AirportAkwa Ibom AirportAkwa Ibom Airport is an airport serving Uyo, the capital city of the Akwa Ibom state in Nigeria and other neighbouring towns in the state including Eket, Ikot Ekpene and Oron among others....
) - Warri (Osubi Airport)
- Abuja
Fleet
As of September 2011 the Aero Contractors (Nigeria) fleet includes the following aircraft:- 2 Boeing 737-400Boeing 737 ClassicThe Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new...
- 6 Boeing 737-500Boeing 737 ClassicThe Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new...
- 3 Bombardier Dash 8 Q300