Okada Air Explained

Airline:	Okada Air
Iata:	9H
Icao:	OKJ
Callsign:	OKADA AIR

Okada Air was an airline based in Benin City, Nigeria. The carrier was established in 1983 with a fleet of BAC-One Eleven 300s. and started charter operations in the same year. In 1984, a Boeing 707-355C was acquired for cargo operations. By 1990, ten BAC One-Elevens were bought, and eight more were acquired in 1991. The company was granted the right of operating international flights in 1992.

The owner of Okada Air was Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin.^[1] In 1997, the company was disestablished.

Destinations

Okada Air served the following destinations throughout its history:

• AbujaNnamdi Azikiwe International Airport
• BeninBenin Airport
• EnuguAkanu Ibiam International Airport
• JosYakubu Gowon Airport
• KadunaKaduna Airport
• KanoMallam Aminu Kano International Airport
• LagosMurtala Muhammed International Airport
• Port HarcourtPort Harcourt International Airport
• YolaYola Airport

Historical fleet details

• BAC One-Eleven-200
• BAC One-Eleven-300
• BAC One-Eleven-400
• BAC One-Eleven-500
• Boeing 727-200
• Boeing 707-300
• Boeing 747-100
• Douglas DC-8-62
• Sud Aviation Caravelle
• Dornier 228-100
• PZL W-3 Sokół (one)^[2]

Accidents and incidents

Fatal accidents

• 26 June 1991: A BAC One-Eleven 402AP, registration 5N-AOW, force-landed off Sokoto Airport due to fuel exhaustion. There were three fatalities, all of them passengers. The aircraft had been diverted from the original Benin City–Kano route because of bad weather at the airport of destination.

Non-fatal hull-losses

• 7 September 1989: A BAC One-Eleven 320AZ, registration 5N-AOT, that was finalising a domestic scheduled Lagos–Port Harcourt passenger service, was written off on a hard landing caused by bad weather at Port Harcourt Airport.
• 1992: A Dornier 228-100, registration 5N-NOR, resulted damaged beyond repair on landing at an unknown location in Nigeria.

See also

• Transportation in Nigeria

Bibliography

• Book: Guttery, Ben R.. Encyclopedia of African Airlines. 1998. McFarland & Company . Jefferson, NC . 0-7864-0495-7.

Notes and References

1. Book: Forrest, Tom . The advance of African capital: the growth of Nigerian private enterprise . Edinburgh University Press for the International African Institute . Edinburgh . 1994 . 0-7486-0492-8 .
2. Sałata. Dariusz. Sałata. Krzysztof. Wrona . Andrzej. 2004. Użytkownicy śmigłowców W-3. W-3 helicopter users . Aeroplan. pl . Agencja Lotnicza Altair. 5–6/2004 (50/51) . 29 . 1232-8839.