The announcement was made by the airline's representatives, Sky Master, during a launch event held in Ikeja, Lagos, which included industry stakeholders, regulatory bodies, and potential clients.
Sky Master, an aviation service provider, indicated that Neos Airline will begin its scheduled flights to Nigeria on October 30, initially operating once a week for the first month. Following this period, the frequency of flights is set to increase to three times per week.
Additionally, Sifax Sahco Travels will serve as the official travel agent for the airline.
During the event, Princewill Ogbonna, Managing Director of Sky Master, emphasized that the introduction of Neos Airline's operations would enhance the ties between Nigeria and Italy.
He noted that Neos is a private airline based in Somma Lombardo, Lombardy, and will utilize a Boeing 787-8 for its inaugural month of service to Nigeria.
Ogbonna also mentioned that the airline, which currently serves over 50 global destinations, is open to adapting its operations in Nigeria to better accommodate the needs of groups and associations based on their feedback and requests.
“For instance, the Christian Association of Nigeria will want to get to Rome and will not want to stop in Milan. We can arrange with our connecting flights to move them directly to Rome via Milan,” he said.
Ogbonna expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his proactive efforts to facilitate seamless investment opportunities in Nigeria
He said, “Firstly, I want to thank the present administration under President Bola Tinubu, he is a great inspiration. This is the second carrier that is commencing direct operations into Nigeria under his watch that is to tell you how focused his administration is in bringing direct investment into the country and we key into that. It is also important to congratulate the Minister of Aviation who is working tirelessly to ensure that Nigeria is opened up for foreign investment.
“Neos is currently flying between Milan and Dhaka and they are flying with a 787 and 60 per cent of the traffic going through there are Nigerians. That should tell you that Nigerians are making other people richer while we are treated poorly.
“That is the reason we are starting with a strategic way of flying so we don’t make mistakes. We have designed a strategy by starting with the Boeing 737, once a week, testing the waters and we would be able to encourage people on what we have come to do and by the second month we would increase to three flights a week.
“Skye master, we are the partner of Neos in Nigeria and we are also the general sales agent in the country.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, commended the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development for facilitating this significant achievement, highlighting that advancements in the aviation sector reflect positively on Nigeria as a whole.
The minister, who was represented by Alex Kefas, the Director of the European Affairs Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, referred to the initiation of the airline's direct flights to Nigeria as the "official re-launch of the Nigeria-Italy Airlinks."
He said, “I would like to seize the opportunity and use this occasion to congratulate the SkyMaster partnership and other stakeholders for concretising our long-awaited dreams.
“These companies(Nigeria and Italy) are our Super Ambassadors in their own rights. Their efforts have made our work easier in the Aviation Sector. I believe very soon Nigerians and Italians will start flying to Milan and Lagos, and this hopefully includes other cities.
“I can’t conclude my speech without mentioning the contributions of the Ministries of Aviation and Aerospace Development and other Agencies in both Nigeria and Italy. And of course, the great roles played by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and the Italian Ambassador and Consul General in Lagos that worked tirelessly to ensure the Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding(MoU).”
During his earlier remarks at the event, Ugo Boni, the Italian Consul General in Nigeria, conveyed his pleasure regarding the recent development, stating that the direct flight from Italy to Nigeria has been long awaited.
He also expressed his anticipation for the airline to eventually increase its frequency to three flights, considering the strong ties between Nigeria and Italy
He added, “This is a welcome development and I am happy to be here. Nigeria, Italy’s relationship will be strengthened. This is long overdue and I hope that we increase the frequency from one to three every week very quickly.
“We are also doing our best to put the visa processing between two weeks, at least my business here is not to hinder Nigerians from travelling but to rather make it easier for them.”