(1) #THREAD OKADA AIR: THAT WAS THE AIRLINE THAT WAS! #HistoryVille #Nigeria #Aviation #Travel #History #NaijaProud There can never be another Okada Air. That much is clear. The... https://images.app.goo.gl/PPphGQnzcgAR7Urr5

(2)... circumstances which gave rise to its birth only happen once in a lifetime, and it's safe to say they can never happen again. Okada Air was set up by Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, a ranking chief of the Bini people, in late 1983. At that time, the...

(3)...boundary between #scheduled air services, the exclusive preserve of Nigeria Airways (WT), and charter flights, was distinct, but the pioneer outfit #Kabo Air was operating regular flights, and Igbinedion was determined to match him. The initial fleet...

(4)...consisted of four 89-seat BAC 1-11, a twin-engined jet from the #UK. They were bought second hand from the UK carrier, British Caledonian. Igbinedion hired managers, #pilots and technicians from a consultancy run by #Irish flag, #Aer Lingus, to help...

(5)...launch the Op. It debuted successfully with flights from its #Benin headquarters to #Lagos. Next came flights to #Port Harcourt, #Enugu, #Calabar and #Kaduna, in the early months. The airline enjoyed good loads and throughout late 1980s, expanded...

(6)...rapidly. In fact its aircraft acquisitions were the butt of jokes, but awe as well, because they grew swiftly, whilst exhibiting little logic or discernible strategy. Although the 1-11 was proving a dependable sidekick for the airline, Igbinedion...

(7)...bought a Sud Aviation #Caravelle, an 82-seat twinjet from #France, pre owned of course. But how would Caravelle ops sit with 1-11 ops? Only the chief could tell. By 1985, Igbinedion made the shrewd decision to enter the #Cargo sector, where hard...

(8)...currency and other benefits were, to compete with the local players GAS Air, EAS, Tradewinds (British) and others. He picked up the standard equipment of the era, a #Boeing 707 in cargo configuration, and was soon raking in $. But if there was a...

(9)...market for international lift of passengers once in a while, a second 707 was in order, right? Instead, th chief bought a DC8-62 (it appears in our picture.) The DC8 was the rival of the 707 in their day. Next, Okada turned to 3rd level destinations...

(10)...with a plan to serve #Minna. For this he bought a #Shorts 330 twin turboprop, a 30-seater from Ireland. It was christened "Minna Express." However, the service ended soon after it began, as the chief fell out with the expatriate #aircrew, who went...

(11)...back to the UK. Igbinedion never trained local pilots on the Shorts, and it quickly became a forgotten part of history. Same fate befell a smart #Hawker Siddeley HS125 Series 600 eight-seat business jet the chief acquired from its manufacturer, in...

(12)...1985. This jet was ex Nigerian Prez Fleet and it had been traded in to its maker, when Nigeria bought 2 copies of the improved version, the 700, the previous year. The trade in reduced the price of the new purchases. It had very high specifications...

(13)...so, when Okada flew it into Lagos, th aviation community reacted with respect. It began charter services in earnest, flown by local crews, who were also being transitioned into the 1-11s. But in 1987, the 600 was ferried to Aero Contractors at Ikeja...

(14)...for maintenance. Aero did the job, but presented a bill the chief reportedly balked at. So, Aero held on to the aircraft. And that is how that one went. By 1990, the 1-11 count was 13 aircraft. The airline prospered, helped along by the rapidly...

(15)...reducing fleet of WT. WT between 1987 and 1991, crashed FOUR aircraft, which were all written off. The only one which was replaced was withdrawn by its creditors within 2 years. In 1988, Igbinedion deposed Chief MKO Abiola as King of private jet use...

(16)...in Nigeria, when he started flying a pair of 89-seat aircraft converted instead, to have plush interiors with dining area, office, bedroom, multiple lavatory and other comforts. One of them was an ex head of state aircraft and they both had...

(17)...intercontinental range. In 1991, the chief raised pulses again when he bought a Boeing 747-100, ex #British Airways, the first widebody owned by any private airline in Nigeria. It got the stylish reg of 5N-EDO, and was christened "Lady Cherry" after...

(18)...Igbinedion's wife. He had anticipated service to #London and in that era, it seems you didn't need to have the aircraft to get the necessary approvals but in typical fashion, he bought it anyway. But as the fates would have it, Okada did not serve...

(19)...London, blocked by the spirited efforts of WT and other local shenanigans. And in widebody altitudes, sure enough, the "buy any airplane that catches my fancy" bug turned up, as the chief bought a DC10! When the London plan did not work out, Okada...

(20)...turned to Hajj, which was bound to be difficult as Igbinedion wasn't a muslim and there were well established locals on the scene already. In preparation, in 1993, he got four Boeing 727-200 trijets featuring 148-seats in two class layouts, with...

(21)...enough range to reach Jeddah from Maiduguri. Two of the 727s were fresh from Lufthansa, and thus were of the highest quality engineering and aesthetic quality. Needless to say, the Saudi wishes never materialised, and the aircraft were vectored to...

(22)...local cities. Okada Air will be remembered for many firsts, besides an unfair share of eye openers, jaw droppers, peer envy, and, naturally, controversies. It remains one of th few private airlines in Nigeria which successfully built its own #hangar...

(23)...AND repaired aircraft in them, in Okada's case, up to C-checks. But same hangar cost the airport manager his job, because it was built too close to the runway (Benin airport.) It trained many indigenous pilots & technicians. It served 5 of the 6 geo...

(24)...political zones in the country. No airline in Nigeria has ever traded in as many sectors of the industry as Okada: (1) air taxi (2) worldwide cargo (3) domestic trunk routes (4) commuter service (5) helicopter ops (6) international third party work...

(25)...Okada flew more types than even WT (who regretted their own multiplicity of types ) They were HS 125, Dornier 228, Shorts 330, BAC 1-11, B727, DC10, and B747. That's a total of 7 makes of aircraft. It had a booming helicopter division in the early..

CONTINUED: (26)...1990s, flying oil workers to rigs offshore in the #Niger Delta, in #Polish and #Soviet helicopters (6 machines.) That airline had swag. And that swag was a mirror of the flamboyant persona of the man who owned it. He once declared to...

(27)...fellow chiefs at the palace: "I bought Mercedes Benz, you bought; I bought Rolls Royce, you bought; I have bought aeroplane, go and buy your own!" ! Perhaps the most fitting tribute to Okada Air is the mode of transport Nigerians gave its name to...

(28)...Taxi cabs were getting held up in traffic, whilst bikes were weaving in and out the same traffic and delivering their customers with dispatch. The cabs could be WT... but the bikes were, Okada @Mbujimaii @asemota @eyooekpo @cchukudebelu @mcspella