By Ashemiriogwa Emmanuel
A leading airline in domestic and international travel, Delta Airlines, has disclosed that it would be restoring its direct flight services from Lagos to the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in December this year.
The Airline’s Commercial Director Africa, the Middle East, and India, Mr Jimmy Eichelgruen, who disclosed this in a statement, added that the resumption of the popular route was timely as the festive season is fast approaching.
According to him, the operation of the flight service between Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport would be nonstop and three times a week which is set to go underway from December 8, 2021.
Business Post understands that this is coming as United Airlines, on the other hand, is also resuming direct flights on the Lagos-Washington route on November 29.
According to Delta Airline’s official, “The flight DL214 would depart MMIA at 11:25 on December 8 and arrive at the New York-JFK Airport at 17:15, while its Flight DL215 would leave New York-JFK at 23:55 and arrive at the MMIA at 16:00 on December 9.”
He added that the re-entry will also connect Lagos to Atlanta daily with connections to 46 cities at Delta’s JFK hub.
“Pre-pandemic, the U.S. was one of the most popular destinations for Nigerians and we don’t see any signs of this slowing down.
“We are proud to be the only airline connecting Nigeria nonstop to two destinations in the United States, offering more choice and award-winning service whether travelling for business or leisure.
“Therefore, Delta has scheduled an Airbus A330-200 aircraft on the JFK route, which features a choice of Delta One, Delta Comfort, and Main Cabin seats,” he stated.
He added that personal seatback entertainment screens, along with on-demand Wi-Fi for purchase with free mobile messaging will be made available to passengers throughout their flight, while passengers on Delta One can pre-order their in-flight meal and enjoy complimentary lounge access before they fly
While this will reconnect with family and friends across the United States, Mr Eichelgruen said that the airline continually develops its layers of protection to ensure a safer travel experience, even amid the face of the pandemic.
To aid this, its integrated digital health credential platform, Delta FlyReady, already makes it possible for most customers travelling to the United States to upload a negative Covid-19 test result prior to travel, and vaccination credentials as well.
Aduragbemi Omiyale 
Modupe Gbadeyanka