United Airlines Boosts Air Connectivity in Nigeria, Ghana, and Beyond
United Airlines, a global aviation giant, is expanding its presence in Africa, specifically Nigeria, with a strategic focus on robust connectivity, economic empowerment, and innovative passenger experiences.
In this interview with Prince Okafor, the Country Sales Manager for Nigeria and Ghana at United Airlines, Oluwatomi Bola-Sadipe, shed light on the airline’s global strategy, technological advancements, and commitment to sustainability.
Today, in addition to Lagos, our flights from Washington D.C. serve Accra and Cape Town, and we have also established non-stop ultra-long haul services from New York/Newark to both Cape Town and Johannesburg. Customers flying with United to and from Lagos will experience one of the most advanced, efficient and comfortable aircraft, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Demand on this route reflects the growth we are seeing on our international routes across the network where the average seat load factor rose by over 4 per cent to 83.8 per cent for the first three quarters of 2023, compared with the same period in 2022.
The most significant trend has been the adoption of smartphone digital technology and solutions to remove as much hassle from the customer journey as possible.
Today, nearly three-quarters of our customers worldwide travel with the United mobile app and they feed back their appreciation in respect of time-saving, prompt personalised service and peace of mind.
The key to this technology adoption is developing relevant solutions that deliver genuinely meaningful benefits to customers.
A great example is this past Thanksgiving season, twelve days in November, during which United carried almost six million customers on its flights. In anticipation of this, the United customer experience team worked all year on a series of industry-first innovations to help travellers prepare for their trips, at the airport and on board our aircraft.
We realize there’s a limit to what a single company can do alone. That’s why we are continuing to seek opportunities to collaborate with other industries.
We must reach across industries to develop coordinated efforts to accomplish what must be our collective goal of carbon neutrality.” – Scott Kirby, Chief Executive Officer, United At United, our purpose of “Connecting People. Uniting the World.” extends beyond just getting you to your next destination. Our commitment to operating an environmentally sustainable and responsible airline means acknowledging our climate impact, working to chart a more sustainable course for the future, and holding ourselves accountable. We recognize the role we play in contributing to climate change and our responsibility in solving it.
The aviation sector as a whole is responsible for about 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Starting with more than $100 million in investments from United and our partners, the fund will support start-ups working on SAF research, production and technology.
