Sosoliso Airlines

Sosoliso Airlines Limited was a scheduled, domestic, passenger airline. For much of its existence it had its head office in Ikeja, Lagos State.[1] Originally its head office was on the grounds of Enugu Airport in Enugu.[2]

Sosoliso Airlines
IATA ICAO Callsign
SO OSL SOSOLISO
Founded1994
Ceased operations2007
Frequent-flyer programSmart flyer
Fleet size6
Destinations5
HeadquartersIkeja, Lagos State, Nigeria
Key peopleVictor Ikwuemesi
Websitesosolisoairline.com

History

It was established in 1994 and started operations in July 2000. The Nigerian government set a deadline of 30 April 2007 for all airlines operating in the country to re-capitalise or be grounded, in an effort to ensure better services and safety. Seven airlines failed to meet the deadline and as a result would not be allowed to fly in Nigeria’s airspace with effect from 30 April 2007. These were: ADC Airlines, Fresh Air, Sosoliso Airlines, Albarka Air, Chrome Air Service, Dasab Airlines and Space World Airline. The affected airlines would only fly when they satisfied the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)’s criteria in terms of re-capitalization and thus be re-registered for operation.[3]

Destinations
A DC 9-30 from Sosoliso Airlines at Enugu Airport

Sosoliso Airlines operated flights to Enugu, Port Harcourt, Owerri, Abuja and Lagos. Reservations are possible.

Fleet

As of August 2006 the Sosoliso Airlines fleet included:[4]

According to its website, Sosoliso Airlines operates four aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-81 and three McDonnell Douglas DC-9s.

DC-9 5N-BFD has been identified as the hull loss in the December 10, 2005 crash.

Incidents and accidents
  • On 10 December 2005, Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 from Abuja to Port Harcourt crashed on landing with 110 people on board. 2 persons survived. Bimbo Odukoya (A popular Christian speaker) who died a day after the incident, and Kechi Okwuchi. 60 students of Loyola Jesuit College, an Abuja-based secondary school, were among the dead. It is reported that a witness states that the plane was struck by lightning about 40 or 50 metres from touching down and the fuel in the wing caught fire and it exploded. This has not yet been confirmed by any authorities.[5] Following the crash, president Olusegun Obasanjo ordered all Sosoliso planes grounded.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Contact us." Sosoliso Airlines. 3 December 2003. Retrieved on 3 October 2009. "LAGOS (Head Office) 44 Ajanaku Street Off Salvation Road Opebi – Ikeja Lagos"
  2. "Survey: World Airlines." Flight International. 1–7 April 2003. 74. "Enugu Airport, Nigeria"
  3. Nigeria Direct 2 May 2007.
  4. Flight International, 3–9 October 2006
  5. "Plane 'struck by lightning' Archived 2005-12-12 at the Wayback Machine." News24. 10 December 2005. Retrieved on 17 June 2009.
  6. "Nigeria grounds two airlines." CNN. Tuesday 13 December 2005. Retrieved on 17 June 2009.
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