Bellview Airlines (Nigeria)
Encyclopedia
Bellview Airlines was an airline
headquartered at Bellview Plaza in Ikeja
, Lagos State
, Nigeria
. Founded in 1992 and having had 308 employees, it operated scheduled passenger flights within Africa as well as to London
out of Murtala Mohammed International Airport
, Lagos. The airline was shut down in 2009.
aircraft. In 1993 scheduled domestic passenger services commenced with a leased Douglas DC-9-30
. In order to expand further, a subsidiary in Sierra Leone
was founded in 1995, which later merged back into its parent company.
The Government of Nigeria set a deadline of April 30, 2007, for all airlines operating in the country to re-capitalise to avoid being grounded, in an effort to ensure better services and safety. Bellview Airlines satisfied the criteria of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
(NCAA) and was subsequently re-registered for operation.
In October 2009 Bellview Airlines suspended all operations following the suspension of its London Heathrow services.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
headquartered at Bellview Plaza in Ikeja
Ikeja
Ikeja is an outer-ring suburb of the city of Lagos and capital of Lagos State. It is also one of Nigeria's 774 Local Government Areas . The Murtala Mohammed International Airport is located there...
, Lagos State
Lagos State
Lagos State is an administrative division of Nigeria, located in the southwestern part of the country. The smallest in area of Nigeria's states, Lagos State is the most populous state in Nigeria and arguably the most economically important state of the country and west Africa, containing Lagos, the...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. Founded in 1992 and having had 308 employees, it operated scheduled passenger flights within Africa as well as to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
out of Murtala Mohammed International Airport
Murtala Mohammed International Airport
Murtala Muhammed International Airport is an international airport located in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is the major airport serving the city of Lagos, southwestern Nigeria and the entire nation. Originally known as Lagos International Airport, it was renamed midway during construction...
, Lagos. The airline was shut down in 2009.
History
In 1992, Bellview Airlines emerged out of Bellview Travels Limited, a Lagos based travel agency, originally concentrating on offering executive charter services using a single Yakovlev Yak-40Yakovlev Yak-40
The Yakovlev Yak-40 is a small, three-engined airliner that is often called the first regional jet transport aircraft...
aircraft. In 1993 scheduled domestic passenger services commenced with a leased Douglas DC-9-30
McDonnell Douglas DC-9
The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.The DC-9 was followed in subsequent modified forms by...
. In order to expand further, a subsidiary in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
was founded in 1995, which later merged back into its parent company.
The Government of Nigeria set a deadline of April 30, 2007, for all airlines operating in the country to re-capitalise to avoid being grounded, in an effort to ensure better services and safety. Bellview Airlines satisfied the criteria of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority is the civil aviation authority of Nigeria. It has its head office on the grounds of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, and its Lagos office is in Aviation House on the grounds of Murtala Muhammed Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State.The current Director...
(NCAA) and was subsequently re-registered for operation.
In October 2009 Bellview Airlines suspended all operations following the suspension of its London Heathrow services.
Destinations
At July 2009, Bellview Airlines offered scheduled flights to the following destinations:Africa
- CameroonCameroonCameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
- DoualaDoualaDouala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country...
(Douala International AirportDouala International AirportDouala International Airport is an international airport located 6 miles from Douala, the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province...
)
- Douala
- Côte d'IvoireCôte d'IvoireThe Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
- AbidjanAbidjanAbidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
(Port Bouet AirportPort Bouet AirportPort Bouet Airport , also known as Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport, is located 16 kilometres southeast of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.The airport was one of many hubs for multi-national airline Air Afrique.- Airlines and destinations:...
)
- Abidjan
- GabonGabonGabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
- LibrevilleLibrevilleLibreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon, in west central Africa. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. As of 2005, it has a population of 578,156.- History :...
(Libreville International AirportLibreville International AirportLibreville Leon M'ba International Airport is an airportsituated in Libreville, Gabon. It is the main international airport in the country.Named after the first president of Gabon, Léon M'ba, it was the hub of former national airline Air Gabon until March 2006.-Airlines and destinations:-Cargo...
)
- Libreville
- The GambiaThe GambiaThe Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
- BanjulBanjul-Transport:Ferries sail from Banjul to Barra. The city is served by the Banjul International Airport. Banjul is on the Trans–West African Coastal Highway connecting it to Dakar and Bissau, and will eventually provide a paved highway link to 11 other nations of ECOWAS.Banjul International Airport...
(Banjul International AirportBanjul International AirportBanjul International Airport also known as Yundum International is the international airport of Banjul, capital of The Gambia.In 2004, the airport served 967,719 passengers....
)
- Banjul
- GhanaGhanaGhana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
- AccraAccraAccra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
(Kotoka International AirportKotoka International AirportKotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, is the country's premier international airport and has the capacity for large aircraft such as the Boeing 747-800...
)
- Accra
- GuineaGuineaGuinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
- ConakryConakryConakry is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea with a 2009 population of 1,548,500...
(Conakry International AirportConakry International AirportConakry International Airport , also known as Gbessia International Airport, is an airport located in Conakry, the capital of the Republic of Guinea in West Africa. It is divided into domestic and international terminals...
)
- Conakry
- LiberiaLiberiaLiberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
- MonroviaMonroviaMonrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
(Roberts International AirportRoberts International Airport-Accidents and incidents:*On 5 March 1967: Varig flight 837, a Douglas DC-8-33 registration PP-PEA flying from Rome-Fiumicino to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão via Roberts International Airport, caught fire after a mistaken approach to Monrovia, missing the threshold of the runway by 6,023 ft...
)
- Monrovia
- NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
- AbujaAbujaAbuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...
(Nnamdi Azikiwe International AirportNnamdi Azikiwe International AirportNnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is an international airport located in Abuja, FCT, Nigeria, and is the main airport serving the Nigerian capital city. It was named after Nigeria's first President, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. It consists of an international and a domestic terminal. Both terminals...
) focus city - LagosLagosLagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
(Murtala Mohammed International AirportMurtala Mohammed International AirportMurtala Muhammed International Airport is an international airport located in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is the major airport serving the city of Lagos, southwestern Nigeria and the entire nation. Originally known as Lagos International Airport, it was renamed midway during construction...
) hub - KanoKanoKano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 sq.km and comprises six Local Government Area - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a...
(Mallam Aminu Kano International AirportMallam Aminu Kano International AirportMallam Aminu Kano International Airport is located in Kano, a city in the Kano State of Nigeria. It is the main airport serving northern Nigeria and was named after Nigerian politician Aminu Kano. The airport consists of an international and a domestic terminal. Both terminals share the same...
) - Port Harcourt (Port Harcourt International AirportPort Harcourt International AirportPort Harcourt International Airport is an international airport located in Omagwa, a suburb of Port Harcourt city in Rivers State, Nigeria. The airport consists of a single terminal with separate facilities for international and domestic flights...
) focus city
- Abuja
- SenegalSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
- DakarDakarDakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
(Dakar-Yoff-Léopold Sédar Senghor International AirportDakar-Yoff-Léopold Sédar Senghor International AirportLéopold Sédar Senghor International Airport is an international airport serving Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The airport is situated near the town of Yoff, north of Dakar...
)
- Dakar
- Sierra LeoneSierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
- FreetownFreetownFreetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
(Lungi International AirportLungi International Airport-Incidents and accidents:On August 11th, 2004 at around 2:30 p.m. a Boeing 737 plane operated by Air Guinee Express crashed while failing to take off at Lungi Airport. None of the 70 passengers aboard were killed....
)
- Freetown
- South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
(OR Tambo International Airport)
- Johannesburg
Incidents and accidents
- On October 22, 2005, Bellview Airlines Flight 210Bellview Airlines Flight 210On 22 October 2005, Bellview Airlines Flight 210, a Boeing 737-200 aircraft, crashed shortly after taking off from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos en route to the Nigerian capital Abuja, killing all 117 people on board.- Casualties :...
, a Boeing 737-200 aircraft with 117 people on board, crashed shortly after taking off from Murtala Mohammed International AirportMurtala Mohammed International AirportMurtala Muhammed International Airport is an international airport located in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is the major airport serving the city of Lagos, southwestern Nigeria and the entire nation. Originally known as Lagos International Airport, it was renamed midway during construction...
en route to Nnamdi Azikiwe International AirportNnamdi Azikiwe International AirportNnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is an international airport located in Abuja, FCT, Nigeria, and is the main airport serving the Nigerian capital city. It was named after Nigeria's first President, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. It consists of an international and a domestic terminal. Both terminals...
, killing all 117 people onboard. Bellview grounded all flights on the next day, but resumed operation again on October 24.
- On December 19, 2005, a Boeing 737Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
operating a Bellview Airlines flight between LagosLagosLagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
and FreetownFreetownFreetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
made an emergency landing at Kotoka International AirportKotoka International AirportKotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, is the country's premier international airport and has the capacity for large aircraft such as the Boeing 747-800...
in AccraAccraAccra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, GhanaGhanaGhana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
due to hydraulical problems. On the following day, Nigerian authorities ordered all Bellview flights to be grounded and suspended the airline's license until December 22.
Fleet
Over the years, Bellview Airlines operated the following aircraft types:- 2 Airbus A300-600 (between 1997 and 2000)
- 5 Boeing 737-200 (since 2001)
- 3 Boeing 767-200ERBoeing 767The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
(since 2005, for flights to London)