BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
ValueJet will mark a new milestone in its expansion drive when it begins scheduled operations from the newly licensed Gateway International Airport (GWI), Iperu, Ogun State, on October 7, 2025.
The move coincides with the airport’s official opening for commercial flights, positioning ValueJet as its first operator.
The airline will offer twice-weekly flights to Abuja on Tuesdays and Thursdays, departing GWI at 8:30 a.m. and arriving Abuja at 9:45 a.m. The return service leaves Abuja at 4:00 p.m. and lands in Iperu at 5:15 p.m.
Tickets for the service will be available from September 25 through ValueJet’s website, accredited travel agents, and sales counters at the new airport.
According to the airline, the new route will serve the growing travel demand within Ogun State and its environs while providing passengers with a viable alternative to Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport and Ibadan Airport.
“We are excited to operate to the GWI Airport as soon as it is commissioned for the take-off of flight operations,” said Capt. Omololu Dapo Majekodunmi, ValueJet’s Accountable Manager and Managing Director.
Majekodunmi noted that in just three years of scheduled services, ValueJet has built a solid reputation for reliability, affordability, and safety — attributes he said will be extended to the new Iperu service.
“Our growth trajectory has been driven by passenger trust, partnerships, and the hard work of our team to redefine the travel experience across the routes we serve,” he added.
Gateway International Airport sits at Ilishan/Iperu, near the Sagamu Interchange and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, a location designed to ease access for travellers from multiple economic hubs.
The airport also neighbors an agro-industrial processing zone and a free trade zone, giving it strong potential as a hub for both passenger traffic and cargo exports.
On August 15, 2025, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) granted the airport its Aerodrome Operational Permit, clearing it for scheduled commercial operations.
The facility boasts a 4,000-metre-long, 60-metre-wide runway, one of the longest and widest in West Africa, capable of handling wide-body and ultra-long-haul aircraft such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A350.
With ValueJet set to open the skies at Iperu, Ogun State’s Gateway International Airport is poised to redefine the aviation map of Southwest Nigeria.
