Dana Air to add aircraft and regional routes

The newspaper said flights would launch before the end of the year.

The application follows last week's launch of new domestic flights from Abuja to Calabar via Uyo when the airline took the opportunity to call on  the federal government to provide a solution to the high cost of running airline business in Nigeria, which in turn leads to high fares.

Corporate communications chief Tony Usidamen also hit out at the lack of maintenance facilities in Nigeria. "We do not have maintenance repair overhaul facility,” he said. “All our maintenance basically especially the aircraft checks have to be done abroad, the cost of this also impacts on the operations. If the government can assist in that, it would be good," he said.

At the launch, chief commerical officer, Obialor Mbanuzuo, said the airline will be adding domestic routes of Enugu and Owerri and also confirmed the airline is planning to acquire two additional aircraft to its fleet before the end of the year.

Dana Air has previously said it would be expanding its fleet from its current five MD-83s to with the addition of a Boeing 737-700 and an Airbus A319-100.