Harka Air Services
| |||||||
| Founded | 1994 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 2001 (presumed) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Nigeria | ||||||
Harka Air Services (sometimes styled Harkair; formerly Harco Air Services) was a Nigerian airline active in the mid-1990s and early 2000s. It operated chiefly as a charter carrier and later flew limited scheduled services within Nigeria. The airline’s operations included Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft, one of which was destroyed in a fatal runway overrun at Lagos in 1995.[1][2]
History
The company originated as Harco Air Services in 1992 and was renamed Harka Air Services in 1994.[1][3] Contemporary academic and press accounts describe Harka/Harco among Nigerian charter operators of the 1990s, some of which later pursued scheduled operations.[2][4]
Operations
Sources identify Harka as a licensed charter carrier that also operated domestic passenger services during the 1990s.[2] The airline used Tupolev Tu-134A aircraft; at least one example (RA-65617) was operated on lease from the Russian carrier Komiavia.[5] Public spotter databases list additional Tu-134s associated with Harka in the mid-1990s.
Accidents and incidents
On 24 June 1995, a Harka Air Services Tupolev Tu-134A operating from Kaduna Airport to Murtala Muhammed International Airport (Lagos) overran the runway during a heavy downpour, crashed into a drainage ditch and caught fire. Sixteen of the 80 people on board were killed.[6][7]
Litigation
The crash and subsequent events gave rise to litigation, including Harka Air Services (Nig.) Ltd v. Emeka Keazor, Esq. decided by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2011, concerning the airline’s contractual obligations to a passenger and entitlement to damages.[8][9]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Harka Air Services (Harco Air Services) - Nigeria". Airline History. AirlineHistory.co.uk. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ a b c Ogunyemi, Kayode (December 2014). "Nigeria Airways: The Grace and Grass Experience (A Case Study)" (PDF). International Journal of Business and Social Science (PDF). Center for Promoting Ideas. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ "Harco Air Services - Nigeria". Airline History. AirlineHistory.co.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ "Why Nigerian airlines do not survive". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ "ASN Aviation Safety Database results – Tupolev Tu-134A". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ "Factbox - Major air accidents in Nigeria". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ "Crash of a Tupolev TU-134A in Lagos: 15 killed". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. B3A. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ "HARKA AIR SERVICES (NIG.) LIMITED vs EMEKA KEAZOR, ESQ. (SC. 262/2005)". Weekly Reports of Nigeria. Weekly Reports of Nigeria. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ^ "HARKA AIR SERVICES(NIG.) LIMITED .V. EMEKA KEAZOR, ESQ". LegalPedia Online. LegalPedia. Retrieved 14 October 2025.