Arik Air is a privately and wholly Nigerian owned commercial airline operating both domestic and international flights and started operations in 2006. It is West Africa's leading airline. Arik Air flies to many destinations in Nigeria but it also served flights to a number of international destinations including London's Heathrow Airport, and New York's JFK International Airport.
Arik Air operates from its two hub airports in Abuja and Lagos, with its head office located at the Arik Air Aviation Centre on the grounds of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State.
In 2014, Arik Air developed and expanded a commercial agreement with Emirates with the goal of providing customers seamless connectivity on each other's respective route network. 2016 saw Arik Air become the largest carrier in West Africa, in the same year that marked the 10th anniversary of Arik Air's operations. Their mission continues to focus on improving connectivity in the region and facilitate the movement of passengers across their network.
Arik Air covered a wide range of destinations across three continents but it now only flies to 7 domestic destinations within Nigeria. Just in 2016, the airline continued with its expansion plans with flights to Libreville and Gabon. The Gabon route is a special one for the airline because it has been many years since Nigeria has seen a direct flight to and from Gabon.
As of 2023, Arik Air flies to a growing number of domestic destinations.
Top Tip: If you're looking to book flights within Nigeria, check out our guide to domestic flights within Nigeria for more information, including airline in Nigeria and popular airports. Air Peace and Kanem Air are also other Nigerian airlines that operate scheduled flights within the country.
Arik Air's baggage policy differs for checked and carry-on, as well as which cabin you're flying in. Read more below.
Carry-on baggage on all Arik Air flights must fit within the dimensions of 55 cm x 35 cm x 25 cm.
Passengers on domestic flights on Arik Air are entitled to 6kg of carry-on baggage.
Passengers on international flights on Arik Air are entitled to 12kg of carry-on baggage.
Prohibited items must not be carried onboard including any fluid exceeding 100ml. Prohibited items will be confiscated if it's found by airport security.
Passengers flying Economy Class on Arik Air are allowed 20kg of checked baggage.
Passengers flying Business Class on Arik Air are allowed 30kg of checked baggage.
Checked baggage must not exceed the following dimensions of: 90 x 70 x 43cm / 35 x 27 x 17in
On Arik Air, you can check-in online through its website. Or, in-person at the airport check-in desk.
Online check-in is available to passengers flying on all Arik Air flights. Arik Air's online check-in opens 24 hours before your flight departure and closes 5 hours before on international flights and 3 hours before domestic and regional flights. Please visit the check-in page on the Arik Air website.
Passengers should have their booking reference and travel documents details ready when checking in online. Once online check-in is completed, passengers should obtain their boarding passes. Anyone travelling without checked baggage can report directly to airport security, otherwise, please proceed to the airline check-in counters.
Arik Air's check-in counters open 2 hours before departure for domestic flights, 3 hours before regional flights and four hours before international flights. Please note that passengers flying on Arik Air must check-in before the check-in counters close. Arik Air check-in counters close 30 minutes before domestic flights, 60 minutes before regional flights and 90 minutes before international flights.
As soon as the passenger arrives at the airport, they should report to the airline check-in counters, which should be indicated on the departure information board at the airport. Passengers are recommended to arrive at the airport two hours before the scheduled departure time.
Arik Air offers 2 cabin classes - Economy and Business class.
Arik Air passengers can enjoy comfortable seat pitch up to 34". There will be a number of snacks and soft drinks no matter the flight journey.
When travelling in Premium Business Class, Arik Air passengers can enjoy from generous legroom and leather seats, a la carte meal service, range of beverages and in-flight entertainments.
Arik Air's frequent flyer programme is called Affinity Wings. Read more about the programme below
Arik Air's frequent flyer program is called Arik Affinity Wings.
The Arik Affinity Wings programme allows regular travellers to benefit from rewards for their loyalty with the opportunity to earn miles on domestic, regional and long-haul flights. You can collect your points during the Alternative Airlines booking process. Simply select 'Arik Affinity Wings' from the drop-down list of frequent flyer programs and enter your membership number.
There are four different levels of Affinity Wings Membership:
Arik Air isn't part of any global airline alliances but the airline used to have an interline agreement with Emirates.
Arik Air is a Nigerian airline that offers a range of domestic flights from Nigeria. Click on the button below to find out all the destinations which Arik Air flies to.
Check these airlines that fly similar routes to Arik Air across Nigeria, Africa and beyond.
No way, really?! Yes! We’ve partnered with some amazing BNPL payment providers to allow you to pay for your flights over time, with ease.
Kotoka International Airport (ACC) is the Nigeria's premier international airport and is the hub airport for Africa World Airlines, Antrak Air, PassionAir and Starbow Airlines. Kotoka International Airport has one runaway and can handle nearly 3 million passengers.
Airlines which to and from this airport include Air Burkina, Brussels Airlines, British Airways, Delta Airlines, EgyptAir, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Iberia, Kenya Airways, Goldstar Air, Vueling, Turkish Airlines, Unity Air and TAP Portugal.
The Arik Air fleet consists of Boeing and Bombardier aircraft, including Boeing 737-700, Boeing 737-800, Bombardier CRJ900, Bombardier CRJ1000 and Bombardier Dash 8 Q400.
When you book flights through Alternative Airlines, you can choose to pay using any of the 160 currencies that we offer, including Nigerian Naira! We also offer 25+ payment options, such as Airtel, which is a popular payment method in Nigeria. Book Arik Air flights today and spread the cost of your flight in easy to pay instalments with the help of our financing options.
February 7th, 2020
Arik Air is currently undergoing a rebranding.
The Federal Government is expected to announce a new brand name for Arik Air in a matter of weeks, as it commences total rebranding of the airline. The rebranding is yet to be confirmed.
It is still unclear whether the government has concluded plans to transmute Arik into its proposed national carrier, or simply change the identity of the airline following government’s takeover of the carrier three years ago.