Enugu Air Begins International Flying With Douala Route

Enugu Air, the airline owned by Nigeria’s Enugu State, has started international operations with a route to Douala in Cameroon, linking south-east Nigeria with Central Africa’s busiest commercial city.

The Route

The inaugural flight operated on 23 September 2026 and touched down in Douala at 2:48 p.m. local time, according to ThisDay. The service runs twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays, using a 76-seat Embraer 170.

Flights leave Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu at 12:45 p.m. and arrive at 1:45 p.m. The return leaves Douala at 2:30 p.m. and lands back in Enugu at 3:30 p.m., making it a roughly one-hour block time on the outbound leg.

The launch comes roughly 14 months after the airline began domestic flying in July 2025, a quick step to international service for a young carrier.

An Airline Built by a State

Enugu Air is a regional carrier owned by the state government. CAPA’s fleet database lists six aircraft: one Bombardier CRJ100, one Embraer 170, one Embraer 190 and three Embraer 195s. Its domestic network links Enugu with Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Owerri, Asaba, Benin City and Warri.

In February 2026, officials said they expected the fleet to grow by as many as 20 aircraft by the end of the year, Aviation Week reported.

Governor Peter Mbah said the airline “will be a proud ambassador of Enugu state across Africa, connecting our people to new opportunities.” He has linked the project to a wider target of growing the state economy to USD 30 billion and attracting three million visitors a year.

Trade and Community Links

ThisDay described the Douala route as addressing a long-standing connectivity gap for Nigerian traders and the Igbo business community in Cameroon, and as a vehicle for trade, investment and people-to-people exchange between West and Central Africa.

Airline chief executive Captain Tolu Ita said “Enugu is becoming a gateway,” and stressed that the carrier intends to keep the link running rather than treat it as a temporary operation.

What to Watch

Regional carriers in Africa often struggle to hold international routes on small aircraft. The test for Enugu Air will be load factors on a twice-weekly service and whether Nigerian and Cameroonian authorities agree to expanded traffic rights if demand supports more flights. The airline has not announced further international destinations.

State-backed regional airlines are becoming a pattern in Nigeria. The North-East Governors’ Forum, for instance, recently raised counterpart funding of NGN 10.8 billion (about USD 7.1 million) toward a proposed regional air shuttle called North East Airline.