Nigerian startup Rano Air (R4, Kano) has launched with inaugural flights between Kano, Abuja and Lagos on May 7 using a 50-seater EMB-145LR, ADS-B data reveals.
The 21-year-old 5N-BZU (msn 145562) is one of the five in-house Embraer jets of the type in the Rano Air fleet, according to the ch-aviation fleets module.
The airline will operate domestic services from Abuja to Lagos, Kano, Sokoto, and Maiduguri, according to its website. On May 8, it operated its maiden flight between Abuja and Maiduguri. It will also conduct direct services between Maiduguri and Kano, it said on its social media platforms.
Rano Air is owned by oil mogul Auwalu Abdullahi Rano, known as AA Rano. The carrier received its air operator’s certificate (AOC) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority on April 14, 2023. Its certification process took about two-and-a-half years as the Covid-19 pandemic had delayed the procurement of aircraft by about a year.
