Arax Airlines

Last updated

Arax Airlines
5N-ARH 4-7-87 Gatwick (54509571208).jpg
The DC 8-55 that crashed in Cairo
IATA ICAO Call sign
QYRXAn/a
Founded1968
Ceased operations1989
Hubs Lagos Murtala Muhammad
Fleet size?

Arax Airlines was a Nigerian cargo airline based that existed from 1968 to 1989 [1] [2] and operated many aircraft in its fleet and flew various aircraft and was for a time Nigeria's oldest cargo airline. [3] In 1988 a Douglas DC-8 crashed shortly after takeoff from Cairo killing all 4 occupants and 100 cows. [4] It had help from the International Development corporation. In 1971 it delivered aid in the Drought ridden Sahel region during the 1970s. [5] It was part of the 130 airlines that ceased to exist in the past 64 years. [6] [7] In 1976, Arax Airlines renewed their passenger and cargo licence to support oil companies. [8] Arax airlines operated aircraft from the Widgeon and C 47 up to the DC 8 and survived during the Nigerian airline regulated period. It was renamed to Sky Air Cargo (Liberia), then to Transway Air International, then to Skyair Cargo [1] which was documented up to 1998.

Contents

Fleet

Accidents and incidents

In 1981 a DC 3 registered as 5N-ARA was written off at lagos in 1981 with no further details given [10]

On 8 March 1988, a DC 8-55 registered as 5N-ARH was taking off from Cairo when it stalled and crashed killing all 4 occupants and 100 cows [4] the aircraft was involved in an incident in 1975 in Libya while operating for KLM. [11]

See also

List of defunct airlines of Nigeria

References

  1. 1 2 "Arax Airlines history from Africa, Nigeria". Airline History. 10 November 2020. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  2. ↑ "56 Airlines In Nigeria That Are Now Defunct". AutoJosh. 15 May 2020. Archived from the original on 20 May 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Arax Airlines". aerobernie.bplaced.net. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Crash of a Douglas DC-8-55F in Cairo: 4 killed". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "A Douglas DC-3, C-47, operated by Arax Airlines delivers aid to the drought hit area of Sahel during the 1970's.The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian Savanna (historically known as the Sudan region) to the south. Having a semi-arid climate, it stretches across the south-central latitudes of Northern Africa between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea". www.alamy.com. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  6. ↑ UKPE, Philip. "Aviation Sector On Life Support As 130 Airlines Shutdown In 64 Years". THE WHISTLER. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Atqnews (4 June 2022). "Africa: How Nigerian Carriers, Aero, Dana, Overland Defied The 10yrs Lifespan Myth In The Aviation Industry". ATQ News. Archived from the original on 20 April 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "NEW APPOINTMENTS AND OTHER STAFF CHANGES" (PDF). Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette. Vol. 63, no. 61. 16 December 1976. pp. 2257–2275. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 "Arax Airlines". rzjets.net. Archived from the original on 4 June 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  10. ↑ "Aircraft Data 5N-ARA, 1944 Douglas DC-3 (C-47B-30-DK) C/N 33042". airport-data.com. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  11. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "Runway excursion Accident Douglas DC-8-55CF PH-DCU, Thursday 27 February 1975". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.