The Director of Marketing and Communication at Fly Gabon, Angele Boundono, has said the airline’s decision to expand into Lagos is driven by Nigeria’s vast market size and strong travel culture.
Speaking in an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, Boundono described Nigeria as a key strategic destination, highlighting its population and economic activity as major pull factors.
“Nigeria is a very big market… over 200 million people.”
She explained that while Fly Gabon has operated for over two decades within Central Africa, its expansion into Nigeria marks a deliberate move into a larger and more dynamic aviation market.
“We’ve been in that business for over 20 years now.”
According to her, the airline followed a gradual growth path starting from regional routes before entering major hubs like Lagos.
“We’ve expanded slowly… from Cotonou to Johannesburg, then Port Harcourt, and now Lagos.”
Boundono contrasted Nigeria’s scale with that of Gabon, noting that the difference in population underscores the opportunity Nigeria presents.
“Gabon is a very small country… only 2 million people.”
She added that Nigerians’ reputation for frequent travel across business, trade, and personal reasons makes the market even more attractive.
“Nigerians are great travelers… there’s a lot of traders, corporate travelers, and individuals.”
While the airline initially entered Nigeria through Port Harcourt to serve oil and gas traffic, she said Lagos offers a broader and more diverse customer base.
“For us to expand… it was logical to choose Lagos as our biggest market.”
Boundono emphasized that the move into Lagos was carefully planned over time, not a spontaneous decision.
“We’ve been preparing that launch for over two years.”
She concluded that Fly Gabon’s Lagos entry reflects its ambition to scale beyond Central Africa and tap into one of Africa’s most significant travel markets.
By Ojo Triumph
