With the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority finally approving the new route, United Airlines will launch its new Washington, DC – Lagos, Nigeria service in late November. Tickets are now on sale.
United Airlines Washington – Lagos Route Now Approved, For Sale
Lagos is a strategic gateway to West Africa, homeland to many immigrant residents in Northern Virginia, and a key city for the oil business. United previously served Lagos from Houston (IAH), but suspended the service in 2016.
The new route was originally announced in September 2020, but has not launched due to an extended approval process from the Nigerian government (versus the pandemic). But the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority recently green-lighted the new route, which is now available for sale:
The flight will operate according to the following schedule:
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UA612 – departs Washington (IAD) at 6:30pm, arrives Lagos (LOS) at 10:40am
10 hours, 10 minutes
Boeing 787-8
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UA613 – departs Lagos (LOS) at 11:50pm, arrives Washington (IAD) at 6:00am
12 hours, 10 minutes
Boeing 787-8
The new service will operate Monday, Thursday, and Saturday to Lagos and Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from Lagos. It isn’t clear how and why the extra segment comes into play, but the aircraft will sit on the ground for 13 hours in Lagos. A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner will be used on the new route, featuring:
Business Class – 28 seats
Premium Economy – 21 seats
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Economy Class – 194
Economy Plus – 36
United Economy – 158
United will compete with Delta Air Lines on this route, which offers service to Lagos from New York.
Patrick Quayle, United’s Vice President of International Network and Alliances, said:
“This new flight to Lagos has been highly anticipated by our customers and offers the first ever nonstop service between Washington, D.C. and Nigeria, as well as convenient, one-stop connections to over 80 destinations throughout the Americas including Houston and Chicago. On behalf of all of United we’d like to offer our sincere thanks to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and U.S. Department of Transportation for supporting our plans to provide this service.”
CONCLUSION
After a four year gap of no service to Africa, United’s route network will include service to Lagos, Accra (ACC), Johannesburg (JNB), and Cape Town (CPT). The new Lagos service is available for purchase, with fares starting at $1,048 r/t in economy class, $2,258 in premium economy, and $4,386 in business class.