United Nigeria Airlines (UN, Enugu) has partnered with Cronos Airlines (C8, Malabo) to establish a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in Nigeria capable of servicing a range of aircraft from widebodies and narrowbodies to regional jets, according to local news reports.
While the exact location of the MRO base has not been finalised, there are ongoing discussions about potential sites including options near Enugu International Airport, the newspaper This Day reported.
Cronos Airlines founder and CEO Andreas Kaiafas told the newspaper the new facility in Nigeria would accommodate B777s, B737s, and E190s. The company already operates a maintenance company in South Africa, Cronos Airlines International, which handles the base maintenance for the Cronos group, also comprising Cronos Regional (Douala) in Cameroon and Cronos Airlines Benin (C9, Cotonou Cadjehoun).
Kaiafas highlighted that the Cronos team has the expertise to work on various types of aircraft. Decisions about adding new aircraft types will depend on regional fleet needs, he added, and the facility will be equipped with the right tools and personnel to adapt to different aircraft. Beyond serving Nigerian operators, the MRO facility will support other regional operators, offering a more cost-effective and efficient solution than sending aircraft abroad for maintenance, he said.
In July, Nigeria's aviation minister, Festus Keyamo, emphasised the need for a major MRO facility in the country, stressing such a project must be driven by the private sector. He suggested that foreign investors had expressed interest due to Nigeria's potential as a travel hub, given its large population and growing demand for air travel.
Keyamo pointed out that establishing an MRO in Nigeria could save the country significant foreign exchange by eliminating the need for Nigerian airlines to send their aircraft overseas for maintenance. He highlighted the opportunity for an MRO facility capable of servicing widebodies, a capability, he said, that is underserved in West and Central Africa.
Aero Contractors (N2, Lagos) operates Aero MRO in Lagos capable of handling B737, Dash 8-400, Hawker 125 (all series), and certain rotary wing airframe maintenance. The company is expanding its hangar due to a full schedule for the next six to seven months.
Ibom Air (QI, Uyo) also plans its own MRO centre in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The airport's existing MRO facility can handle heavy commercial aircraft maintenance in a climate-controlled hangar accommodating two B747-400s, but Ibom Air intends to specialise in servicing A220s, A320s, B737s, and CRJ900s. The airline already does its own line maintenance. Base maintenance is expected to start in March 2025, with heavy maintenance planned in about a year's time.
