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Key Facts
- —What happened Enugu Air, owned by Nigeria’s Enugu State government, plans to open its first international route, to Douala in Cameroon.
- —When it starts The first flight is scheduled for Wednesday 23 September 2026. Services then run on Mondays and Wednesdays.
- —The schedule Flights leave Enugu at 12:45 p.m. West Africa time and land in Douala an hour later.
- —The aircraft BusinessDay reports the airline will use a 76-seat Embraer E170 regional jet on the route.
- —The catch No fares have been reported, and the news site Camer.be said Cameroon’s aviation regulator had not confirmed its approvals.
- —Why it matters It would give southeastern Nigeria a direct air link to Douala, Cameroon’s commercial capital, without changing planes in Lagos.
A young airline owned by a Nigerian state government is about to fly abroad for the first time. Its target is Douala, the port city that drives Cameroon’s economy.
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The Enugu Air Douala service is due to take off on Wednesday 23 September 2026. It will be the first international route for Enugu Air, an airline owned by the government of Enugu State in southeastern Nigeria.
The flights will link Enugu with Douala, the port city that serves as Cameroon’s commercial capital. Nigerian outlets including BusinessDay, Premium Times and the Nigerian Tribune reported the plan on 20 and 21 September.
For a region whose travellers usually route through Lagos or Abuja, it means a one-hour hop to a neighbouring country. The first flight has not yet flown.
Two flights a week, one hour each way
The service will run twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays. After the opening Wednesday flight, the first Monday rotation falls on 28 September 2026.
Flights leave Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu at 12:45 p.m. West Africa time. They reach Douala International Airport at 1:45 p.m., as both countries share that zone.
The Tribune and Premium Times carried the same timetable. The return leaves Douala at 2:30 p.m. and lands in Enugu at 3:30 p.m.
BusinessDay reports the airline will fly a 76-seat Embraer E170, a Brazilian-built regional jet. Aviation Metric, a trade site, and Camer.be, a Brussels-based Cameroonian diaspora news site, also name the E170.
From a virtual carrier to an international route
Enugu Air is barely 14 months old. It began flying on 7 July 2025, at first as a virtual carrier using the operating licence of another Nigerian airline, XEJet.
On 10 March 2026 the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, the national regulator, presented Enugu Air with its own air operator certificate. That document allows an airline to run scheduled flights in its own name.
The regulator’s director general, Captain Chris Najomo, noted the airline had started with six aircraft, Vanguard reported that day. Enugu State’s transport commissioner, Obi Ozor, promised regional flights before the end of 2026.
The African Airlines Association, the continent’s airline trade body, admitted Enugu Air as its 50th member. It announced the membership in Nairobi on Wednesday 19 August 2026.
Why Douala
Douala is not Cameroon’s political capital; that is Yaoundé. It is, however, the country’s largest city and its main seaport and business centre.
Enugu is the main city of Nigeria’s southeast, a region with strong trading links to Cameroon. Until now, flying from there to Douala meant changing planes in Lagos or Abuja.
Ugonna Agubuokwu, Enugu Air’s chief operating officer, framed the route in those terms, as quoted by BusinessDay. “This is more than the introduction of a new route; it is about creating stronger connections between Nigeria and Cameroon …”
He went on to promise “making regional travel more accessible, convenient, and seamless for our passengers.”
The airline also expects passengers from Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria’s two busiest air markets, to connect through Enugu. Enugu Air already flies domestic routes that include Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano.
The competition in the air
Enugu Air will not be alone on the corridor. Air Peace, a privately owned Lagos airline, flew its first Lagos to Douala to Libreville service on 2 August 2026, BusinessDay reported.
“Previously, Air Peace was the only airline operating a direct route between Nigeria and Cameroon,” the Tribune wrote. Camer.be reports that another Nigerian carrier, NG Eagle, has also served Cameroon since late 2025.
The Tribune adds that United Nigeria Airlines, a private Nigerian carrier, plans to enter the Cameroon market. Douala and Libreville are among its intended destinations.
Camair-Co, Cameroon’s state airline, had planned to resume flights to Lagos after a three-year gap. Camer.be reported that the timetable has slipped.
What travellers should know
No fares for the Enugu Air Douala flights have been reported. The airline’s website lists Douala as a new, non-stop route and invites bookings.
Camer.be, writing on 15 September, said the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority had not yet confirmed issuing the certificates Enugu Air needs. It said neither the airline nor the regulator had answered its questions by then.
Travellers also need the usual documents. Nigerians and Cameroonians should check visa and passport rules with the Cameroonian and Nigerian authorities before booking.
What comes next
In December 2025, presenting his 2026 budget, Enugu State’s governor Peter Mbah pledged 14 more aircraft for the airline. That would take the fleet to 20, Arise News reported.
The pace of that expansion will shape how quickly more foreign routes follow the Enugu Air Douala launch.
For now, the test is simpler. Filling a 76-seat jet twice a week will show whether the trading ties between southeastern Nigeria and Douala translate into paying passengers.
More: Africa coverage, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do Enugu Air Douala flights start?
The first flight is scheduled for Wednesday 23 September 2026, according to BusinessDay, Premium Times and the Nigerian Tribune. After that, the service runs twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays. The first Monday flight would be on 28 September 2026.
What are the flight times and how long is the trip?
Flights leave Enugu at 12:45 p.m. and arrive in Douala at 1:45 p.m. The return leaves Douala at 2:30 p.m. and reaches Enugu at 3:30 p.m. Nigeria and Cameroon are both on West Africa time, so each leg is scheduled at about one hour.
What aircraft will Enugu Air use?
BusinessDay reports a 76-seat Embraer E170, a regional jet made in Brazil. Enugu Air’s fleet is made up of Embraer E170, E190 and E195 jets, according to the Enugu State government.
Who owns Enugu Air?
The airline is owned by the government of Enugu State, one of Nigeria’s 36 states. It began flying in July 2025 and received its own air operator certificate from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority on 10 March 2026.
Sources: BusinessDay on the route, aircraft and schedule, Nigerian Tribune on the timetable and the airline’s history, Premium Times on the launch date and connections, ThisDay on the Monday and Wednesday service, Aviation Metric on the Embraer E170, Camer.be on the Cameroonian side, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority on the operator certificate, Enugu State Government on AFRAA membership, BusinessDay on Air Peace’s Douala service, Vanguard on the March 2026 certification and targets, Vanguard on the AFRAA announcement in Nairobi, Arise News on the 20-aircraft pledge
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