US embassy cable - 05LAGOS1585

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 001585 
 
SIPDIS 
 
TRANSPORTATION FOR FAA 
 DAKAR PLEASE PASS TO FAA REP ED JONES 
 ROME PLEASE PASS TO TSA REP JOHN HALINSKI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2015 
TAGS: EAIR, EINV, PREL, NI 
SUBJECT: BELLVIEW IS EXPLORING A POSSIBLE U.S. ROUTE WITH 
WORLD AIRWAYS 
 
 
Classified By: Consul General Brian L. Browne 
for reasons 1.4 (D). 
 
1. (C) Summary.  Bellview Airlines CEO Odukoya said World 
Airways executives called him October 4 to discuss 
establishing direct air service between Lagos and the U.S. 
Bellview expressed interest in partnering with World Airways 
to begin scheduled charter services between Lagos and New 
York and Lagos and Baltimore/Washington D.C.  End Summary. 
 
2. (U) U.S.-based World Airways previously operated in 
Nigeria between July 2003 and January 2004.  Malfeasance 
charges and recrimination between World Airways and its 
Nigerian partner led to an abrupt cancellation of services. 
Bellview Airlines is a leading domestic Nigerian airline with 
five Boeing 737 aircraft and two Boeing 767 aircraft running 
30 flights a day.  In addition to numerous domestic flights, 
Bellview operates international flights between Lagos and 
Freetown and London and Lagos and Mumbai. 
 
3. (C) Bellview CEO Kayode Odukoya said World Airways 
executives called him October 4 to discuss direct air service 
plans between Lagos and U.S.   He said World Airways raised 
the possibility of Bellview partnering with North American 
Airlines, a subsidiary of World Airways, to run direct 
flights between Lagos and New York John F. Kennedy 
International Airport and Lagos and Baltimore/Washington 
International Airport.  Odukoya said World Airways executives 
told him their company had an approved Department of 
Transportation (DOT) application on file and that they wanted 
flights to begin by June, 2006. (Note: World Airways does not 
have permission to land in Nigeria and its reputation locally 
remains soiled by the cancellation of services in 2004 that 
left hundreds of customers stranded. Endnote.) 
 
4. (C) Odukoya said direct air services between the U.S. and 
Nigeria would resume sooner than most people expect because 
"there was significant pressure within Nigeria to begin 
direct air services," and the new Aviation Minister, Babalola 
Borishade, appeared "engaged and honest".  Odukoya admitted, 
however, that, Bellview and World Airways do not enjoy broad 
government support.  However, he seemed confident that if 
Bellview was not the airline chosen to begin direct flights 
between the U.S. and Nigeria, "another airline" would, a not 
so veiled allusion to Virgin Nigeria which does have 
significant Government of Nigeria support. 
 
5. (C) Comment.  Discussions between World Airways and 
Bellview have just begun.  Odukoya admits it is too early to 
predict whether a World Airways-Bellview partnership would 
happen.  World Airways has an ambivalent history in Nigeria 
and that could make the attempt to resuscitate its service a 
difficult one.  Odukoya was confident, however, that direct 
air services between the U.S. and Nigeria would occur in the 
relatively near future.  Other aviation experts have also 
indicated the new Aviation Minister appeared focused on 
making direct air services between the U.S. and Nigeria a 
priority.  End Comment. 
BROWNE