KANO, NIGERIANigeria's Azman Air has entered its only widebody aircraft, an Airbus A340-600, into commercial service after securing certification from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to operate the type.



The airline said the A340-600 with registration 5N-AAM (MSN 765) will initially be used to operate evacuation flights from Dushanbe in Tajikistan to "various European countries" without any further details.

The 15.1-year-old quad-jet was previously operated by Virgin Atlantic. The aircraft was ferried from Kano to Dushanbe on a direct flight on August 26, 2021, but has yet to begin operating charters out of the Tajik airport.

The Nigerian carrier took delivery of the 409-seat aircraft in December 2020.

Azman Air was grounded between March and May 2021 by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) due to safety concerns. The African carrier currently also operates two Boeing 737-300s and four Boeing 737-500s on domestic routes linking Kano, Lagos, Abuja, Maiduguri, and Kaduna Int'l.

Before its grounding, the airline had planned to expand its fleet by adding more A340s and three Boeing 737-800s.