Have you seen the famous “aircraft graveyard” at Benin City Airport, Edo State which housed the famous Okada Air owned by Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin?
This was Nigeria’s biggest private airline in the 80s and 90s which was also known as “The Airline of the Nation” because tickets were cheap and flights were frequent.
Most of his jets are BAC-1-11s, British Aircraft Corporation 1-11.
That’s the twin-engine jet with engines mounted at the back and T-tail.
1997 shutdown: NCAA grounded Okada Air in 1997 over safety/maintenance issues.
According to reports, the airline never recovered after it was grounded. Chief Igbinedion couldn’t afford maintenance, insurance, or parking fees. The planes just sat there.
Today, Benin Airport still has a few of these rusting frames. FAAN tried to clear some in 2018, but many remain. It’s a symbol of Nigeria’s 90s aviation boom-and-bust.
NIGERIANS DO BIG THINGS. NO BE TODAY E START.