August 13, 2025
The aviation firm has accomplished a 7,800 landings test on one among its planes, the primary to ever happen in Africa.
Elin Air is showcasing the potential of the aviation business inside Africa and, extra particularly, Nigeria.
The personal Nigerian airline, nevertheless, didn’t attain a historic milestone with long-haul flights. As a substitute, its prowess lies in its upkeep of plane methods. Elin Air grew to become the primary African-based aviation firm to finish a 7,800 landings test for a Bombardier Challenger CL604.
Elin Air’s CEO, Dr. Elizabeth Jack-Wealthy, believes that Africa at all times had the expertise and capabilities to meet this objective, and has now proved it to the worldwide aviation scene.
“To us, this milestone is not only a technical achievement; it’s a press release of chance,” she informed Enterprise Insider Africa. “Finishing the 7,800 landings test domestically demonstrates that Nigeria possesses the expertise, infrastructure, and self-discipline to ship advanced aviation initiatives to the best worldwide requirements.”
Based on The Punch, the 7,800-landing test is among the “most complete inspections” for an plane. It entails the full disassembly, inspection, overhaul, and reassembly of main methods and buildings, and infrequently requiring greater than 6,000 man-hours.
She continued, “For Elin Air, it reinforces our model promise: operational excellence rooted in African functionality. For the broader business, it serves as a proof of idea that we will cut back our dependence on international amenities, maintain income inside the nation, and encourage the subsequent technology of aviation professionals.”
The process occurred at Elin Air’s hangar facility, with a homegrown crew of Nigerian engineers finishing the measure from April to June 2025. The crew eliminated and serviced key elements of the plane, embrace its engines, gas tanks, and flight management methods. In addition they performed further 600-hour and 1,200-hour inspections, whereas refurbishing the airplane’s inside to fashionable luxurious requirements.
“By entrusting our native engineers and technicians with this undertaking, we gave them the chance to reveal their competence on a world stage,” Jack-Wealthy stated. “It was additionally a deliberate stand: to reveal that with the appropriate coaching, management, and sources, Nigerian professionals can meet and even surpass world requirements,” she added.
Whereas they nonetheless underwent challenges and tight deadlines, their adaptability and dedication proved worthwhile. Jack-Wealthy believes this achievement is step one towards making Elin Air the “go-to African hub for world-class upkeep, restore, and overhaul companies.”
Elin Air has already established a pipeline for Nigerians to unfold their very own wings in aviation by means of apprenticeships, worldwide trade applications, and sponsored technical certifications. The corporate hopes to create a motion the place Nigerian and African aviation lovers grow to be leaders within the business.
“5 years from now, I need Elin Air to be remembered as the corporate that not solely met, but additionally set, world aviation requirements in Africa,” Jack-Wealthy stated. “I need our legacy to be a mixture of security, excellence, and transformation, a whole bunch of extremely expert professionals educated, 1000’s of secure flights accomplished, and Nigeria positioned as a revered title in worldwide aviation. “
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