| Airline: | Cally Air |
| Fleet Size: | 2[1] |
| Callsign: | CALLY |
| Founded: | 2017 |
| Commenced: | 2021 |
| Hubs: | Margaret Ekpo International Airport |
| Focus Cities: | Calabar (hub), Lagos, Abuja |
| Alliance: | Aero-Cally [2] |
Cally Air is a Nigerian airline owned by the Cross River State Government.[3] The flights of the airline are operated by Aero Contractors.
The airline commenced operations on 16 July 2021, when a Boeing 737 aircraft was welcomed on touchdown by Benedict Ayade, the then Governor of Cross River State, who boarded the aircraft for inspection and lauded the event as the realization of a dream that had started in 2017.[4] [5]
Cally Air has its hub at the Margaret Ekpo international airport Calabar although most flights are conducted out of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. The airline has two Boeing 737-300 which were previously part of the airBaltic fleet. Currently, all Cally Air flights are operated by Aero Contractors out of its Lagos home base under an agreement / alliance popularly referred to as "Aero-Cally". Aero Contractors in turn also uses the aircraft of Cally Air for its own domestic operations.[6] This is all due to the fact that Cally Air does not have an Air Operator's Certificate.
As of May 2024, Cally Air flies to the following destinations in Nigeria.[7] [8]
| Country | City | Airport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abuja | Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport | ||
| Calabar | Margaret Ekpo International Airport | ||
| Lagos | Murtala Muhammed International Airport |
As of May 2024, Cally Air has the following fleet.
On November 12, 2023, a Cally Air Boeing 737 aircraft registered as 5N-BYQ skidded off the runway while landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The aircraft, which had arrived from Lagos and was operated by Aero Contractors (Nigeria), became stuck with its nose gear in soft ground. There were no reports of serious injuries.
This incident caused significant disruption at the airport. The runway was closed for several hours while the aircraft was removed, leading to flight delays, diversions, and cancellations. The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.[9]