Privately-owned Bellview Airlines of Nigeria has announced the resumption of flights to Mumbai, India. From June 20, 2005, Bellview Airlines, which has been designated by the Nigerian government to serve India, will operate twice weekly nonstop flights from Lagos Murtala Muhammad International Airport to Mumbai, India.
The Flights, to be operated by Boeing 767-200ER (two have been delivered), will depart Lagos, on Monday and Thursday, at 20:00 and arrive in Mumbai on Tuesday and Friday, at 10:30. Flight time will be 10 hours.
Return flights will depart Mumbai every Tuesday and Friday at 21:00 and arrive Lagos the next morning at 07:00. Flight time will be 14 hours and 30 minutes.
The airline has also just announced it would start a new Freetown (Sierra Leone) - London Heathrow service, on July 2nd. They have requested 3 weekly slots from but were able to secure only two. Flights will be operated on behalf of its subsidiary, "Bellview Sierra Leonne"
Bellview operated a single Airbus A300-600R in the late 1990s on flights to Rio, Mumbai and Nairobi but halted them for commercial reasons in 2001. The resumption of the Bellview long haul operations coincides with the launch of its new competitor, Nigeria's new flag carrier, Virgin Nigeria, which also debuts its regional and intercontinental flights on June 28, 2005.
Interesting to note that Bellview Airlines, along with other independent carriers in Nigeria have been pressing the government to designate them on other, lucrative routes like London, New York, Dubai and Johannesburg. These routes, however, have been exclusively granted to Virgin Nigeria for a period of 7 years.
The Flights, to be operated by Boeing 767-200ER (two have been delivered), will depart Lagos, on Monday and Thursday, at 20:00 and arrive in Mumbai on Tuesday and Friday, at 10:30. Flight time will be 10 hours.
Return flights will depart Mumbai every Tuesday and Friday at 21:00 and arrive Lagos the next morning at 07:00. Flight time will be 14 hours and 30 minutes.
The airline has also just announced it would start a new Freetown (Sierra Leone) - London Heathrow service, on July 2nd. They have requested 3 weekly slots from but were able to secure only two. Flights will be operated on behalf of its subsidiary, "Bellview Sierra Leonne"
Bellview operated a single Airbus A300-600R in the late 1990s on flights to Rio, Mumbai and Nairobi but halted them for commercial reasons in 2001. The resumption of the Bellview long haul operations coincides with the launch of its new competitor, Nigeria's new flag carrier, Virgin Nigeria, which also debuts its regional and intercontinental flights on June 28, 2005.
Interesting to note that Bellview Airlines, along with other independent carriers in Nigeria have been pressing the government to designate them on other, lucrative routes like London, New York, Dubai and Johannesburg. These routes, however, have been exclusively granted to Virgin Nigeria for a period of 7 years.