Kabo Air was a Nigerian
charter airline
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a airline ticket, ticket through a traditional airline).
Regulation
Charter – also called air taxi or ad h ...
headquartered in
Kano, Kano State and based at
Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport
Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport is an international airport serving Kano, the capital city of Kano State of Nigeria. It was a Royal Air Force station before the country became independent. It is the main airport serving northern Niger ...
.
History
Kabo Air was established in February 1980 by Dr. Alhaji Muhammadu Adamu Dankabo and started operations in April 1981.
It is currently wholly owned by Kabo Holdings.
[airlineupdate.com - Kabo Air](_blank)
retrieved 17 March 2017
Kabo Air originally operated special charter services for corporate bodies, executives, and government officials. The company stopped operating domestic services in 2001 when they focus solely on
Hajj
The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...
flights and international charters. However, in 2009 the airline received approval to start international scheduled services. Traffic rights were given to Kabo Air for operating scheduled services to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
,
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
and
N'Djamena
N'Djamena ( ) is the capital and largest city of Chad. It is also a special statute region, divided into 10 districts or ''arrondissements''.
The city serves as the centre of economic activity in Chad. Meat, fish and cotton processing are the ...
, but have not been used. The airline operated scheduled flights from
Kano
Kano may refer to:
Places
*Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria
* Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State
**Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries
**Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between ...
to
Abuja
Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...
,
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
,
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
and
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...
for a short period.
Kabo Air met the requirements set by the
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is the civil aviation authority of Nigeria.
the Director General of NCAA is Captain Muhktar Usman.
The current Director General is Capt. Musa Shuaibu Nuhu.
Offices
Its head office (Corporate Headquart ...
(NCAA) for re-capitalization in May 2007.
On 3 March 2017, the offices of Kabo Air were sealed by the Nigerian Federal Inland Revenue Service due to unpaid tax liabilities. It has been reported that Kabo Air owes over 149 million
Nigerian naira
The naira (currency sign, sign: ₦; ISO 4217, code: NGN) is the currency of Nigeria. One naira is divided into 100 ''kobo''.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is the sole issuer of legal tender money throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria ...
(approx. US-$460,000) in taxes.
Destinations
As of March 2017, Kabo Air did not operate any scheduled services and focused on charter operations only, especially for pilgrim flights under its own name and on behalf of other airlines.
Fleet
Current fleet
As of August 2019, the Kabo Air fleet consists of the following aircraft:
Former fleet
The Kabo Air fleet previously included the following aircraft:
*3
Boeing 737-200
The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...
(1983–1986)
*11
Boeing 747-100
The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022.
After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, to ...
(1993–2003)
*9
Boeing 747-200
The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022.
After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, to ...
(1982–2008)
*1 further Boeing 747-400 (2015–2016)
*1
Boeing 757-200
The Boeing 757 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the Boeing 727, 727 (a trijet), received its first orders in August 1978.
...
(2009–2010)
*1
Boeing 767-300ER
The Boeing 767 is an American wide-body aircraft developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The aircraft was launched as the 7X7 program on July 14, 1978, the prototype first flew on September 26, 1981, and it was certified on ...
(2009)
*2
Douglas DC-8
The Douglas DC-8 (sometimes McDonnell Douglas DC-8) is a long-range narrow-body airliner built by the American Douglas Aircraft Company.
After losing the May 1954 US Air Force tanker competition to the Boeing KC-135, Douglas announced in Ju ...
(1988–1994)
Incidents and accidents
*On 6 August 1986, a
Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III overran the runway at
Calabar Airport, Nigeria. Passengers and crew survived but the aircraft was written off.
*On 16 September 1991, a
BAC 1-11
The BAC One-Eleven (or BAC-111/BAC 1-11) was an early jet airliner produced by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Originally conceived by Hunting Aircraft as a 30-seat jet, before its merger into BAC in 1960, it was launched as an 80-s ...
landed at
Port Harcourt Airport
Port Harcourt International Airport is an international airport located in Omagwa, a suburb of Port Harcourt, the capital city of the Rivers State in Nigeria. The airport has two terminals for both international and domestic flights. The new ...
, Nigeria without lowering its gear. All passengers and crew survived but the aircraft was written off.
*On March 31 1992,
Flight 671, operated by
Trans-Air Service as a Kabo Air flight, lost two engines on the right wing in flight. The Boeing 707 made a successful emergency landing at
Istres-Le Tubé Air Base
Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (french: Base Aérienne 125 or BA 125) is a large multi-role tasked French Air and Space Force base located near Istres, northwest of Marseille, France. The airport facilities are also known as Istres - Le Tubé (ICA ...
and all aboard survived.
*On 23 August 1992, a BAC 1–11 overran the runway at
Sokoto Airport, Nigeria. None of the 53 passengers and 4 crew were killed but the aircraft was written off.
*On 12 January 2010, a
Middle East Airlines
Middle East Airlines – Air Liban S.A.L. ( ar, طيران الشرق الأوسط ـ الخطوط الجوية اللبنانية ''Ṭayyarān al-Sharq al-Awsaṭ – al-Khuṭūṭ al-jawiyyah al-lubnāniyyah''), more commonly known as Middle ...
Airbus A330
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body aircraft developed and produced by Airbus.
Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner in the mid-1970s. Then the company began development on the A330 twinjet in parallel with the A340 ...
collided with a parked Kabo Air
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022.
After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
while taxiing to its arrival gate at Kano International Airport, Nigeria; none of the passengers or crew were injured. The Boeing 747 left-wing and main fuel tank were badly damaged and the right-wing of the Airbus A330 was damaged. Officials believe the accident could have been avoided if there was more ground lighting to help the pilots of the Airbus A330 to see.
* In September 2013, a Kabo Air
Boeing 747-200
The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022.
After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, to ...
operated on a Hajj charter on behalf of
Biman Bangladesh Airlines
Biman Bangladesh Airlines ( bn, বিমান বাংলাদেশ এয়ারলাইন্স) commonly known as Biman ( bn, বিমান), pronounced (), is the national flag carrier of Bangladesh. With its main hub at Hazra ...
was refused to receive permission to land in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
as the aircraft at age 21 violated the country's guidelines for aircraft to be a maximum 20 years old to be operated into Saudi Arabia. Biman Bangladesh claimed that Kabo Air did give wrong information regarding the plane age.
* On 4 October 2013, a Kabo Air Boeing 747-200 on a Hajj charter flight from Kano via
Sokoto
Sokoto is a major city located in extreme northwestern Nigeria, near the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2006 it has a population of over 427,760. Sokoto is the modern-day capital of Sokoto State and was previously the c ...
to
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...
was cleared to land on Sokoto's runway 08. However, the aircraft continued to land on the opposite runway 26 for unknown reasons. The aircraft came in too low and hit parts of the
ILS before coming to stop with some burst tyres. The Nigerian aviation authorities rated this incident as serious and started investigations on why the crew chose the wrong runway.
avherald.com - Incident: Kabo B742 at Sokoto on Oct 4th, 2013, touched localizer antenna on approach and burst body gear tyres
7 October 2013
References
External links
*
Official website
{{Portal bar, Nigeria, Companies, Aviation
Airlines established in 1980
Organizations based in Kano
Airlines of Nigeria
Transport in Kano