United Nigeria Airlines has started wet-leasing a Bombardier CRJ900ER from South African airline, CemAir, to expand its operations. The 20-year-old aircraft began flying from the Nigerian carrier on January 20, operating the busy Abuja-Lagos route.
New Regional Jet Enters Service
The jet, registered as ZS-CAU (msn 15038), was ferried from Johannesburg (South Africa) via Libreville (Gabon), from January 18-19, before entering service the following day. It currently operates some of Nigeria’s domestic routes between Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Ilorin, but will soon fly regionally to Accra (Ghana). The carrier is said to accommodate 70 passengers in economy and a further nine in business class.
Previously owned by Mesa Airlines back in 2005, the aircraft was remarketed in 2024 from its prior registration N938LR. It has since re-registered in September 2025 and entered service under CemAir flight numbers by October 20. This will be the second CRJ900 United Nigeria operates from CemAir, alongside a CRJ900LR, registered as ZS-CMO, which has flown domestic routes between Abuja, Asaba, Awolowo, Benin City, Ilorin and Port Harcourt, since November 2025.
Fleet Growth and ACMI Strategy
United Nigeria relies heavily on aircraft crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI) agreements for capacity. Yet, the airline has recently signed a sale and purchase agreement with Southwest Airlines for six B737-800s, with an option for four more to be inducted between 2026 and the first quarter of 2027.
Furthermore, the Nigerian carrier continues to wet-lease one E190 from Ukraine’s Windrose Airlines, and three additional A320-200s from Fly2Sky. Its in-house fleet comprises four active E145s and one inactive B737-500.
In total, CemAir operates seven CRJ900s, including CRJ900, CRJ900ER, and CRJ900LR variants, with four additional units awaiting service entry.
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