NG Eagle (2N, Lagos) has bought two E145s from fellow-Nigerian operator Xejet (4U, Lagos), with the aircraft currently being prepared for their induction, ch-aviation research shows.
According to a well-placed source, the aircraft in question are 20.5-year-old 5N-BZM (msn 14500842), which is currently in C-check maintenance in Lagos, while 5N-NGE (msn 145360) has just been repainted in NG Eagle livery. The latter is 24.3 years old and was previously registered as D2-FFW as it was owned by Angolan business charter carrier Diexim Expresso Aviaçao, which went out of business in 2018, according to ch-aviation fleets history data.
Last year, NG Eagle acquired 27.6-year-old B737-300 5N-DNB (msn 27721), formerly operated by Dana Air (DAN, Lagos). This aircraft is leased from Aerolux, according to the ch-aviation fleets module.
Three B737-700s were to be acquired from Arik Air (W3, Lagos), but the transfer was put on hold on March 31, 2023, when the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that these and other assets should be returned to Arik Air, which remains under receivership of the state-owned Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON).
NG Eagle was set up by AMCON in 2019 to succeed Arik Air. Arik's viable assets were placed with newco Super Bravo Limited including the three B737s, but the transfer of the assets to NG Eagle was stopped through a lawsuit filed by Arik Air co-founders Johnson Arumemi Ikhide and Mary Arumemi Ikhide.
In October 2023, AMCON sold NG Eagle to a consortium backed by Nigerian aviation services company Galactic Aviation, which restarted its certification drive in early November. It began commercial flight operations on December 10, 2023, using an A320-200 briefly wet-leased from Heston Airlines (HN, Vilnius). The airline currently serves four domestic destinations, including Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt Awolowo, and Sokoto, using its single B737-300.
AMCON still intends to liquidate Arik Air to recover debts of NGN228 billion naira (USD150 million).
