Why it is on record
The oldest continuously-operating airline in Nigeria — pre-dates Nigeria Airways' jet operations. Pioneered offshore-oil-rig helicopter service from Port Harcourt (1960s).
Record held
Oldest continuously-operating Nigerian airline.
Deep dive
Aero Contractors Company of Nigeria, founded in 1959 by Schreiner Airways (Netherlands), is the oldest scheduled airline in Nigeria still operating under its original brand. Indigenised in 1973 and progressively reorganised, it became a major scheduled carrier in the 2000s. The AMCON intervention of 2016 and the suspension of scheduled flight operations in 2022 closed the principal scheduled service, leaving Aero as primarily a charter, MRO and aviation-services operation.