Why We Changed Departure Time From Lagos to Atlanta - Delta

America's mega carrier, Delta Air Lines, has explained that the airline's recent decision to change the scheduled departure time of its daily service from Lagos to Atlanta was due to operational reasons and efficiency.

This was revealed by Paul Hassenstab, the airline's Director of Sales for Europe, Middle East, Africa and India, during a recent interactive media parley with journalists at the Lagos Marriott Hotel Ikeja, Nigeria.

"We fly through Atlanta and by Atlanta. We had a night-time schedule that worked well for some time. For operational reasons and efficiency, we needed to move the schedule because the aircraft cannot sit on the ground for several hours here in Lagos. We had to optimize that equipment. So, at the end of the day, the schedule had to be changed because of utilization and strategy." Paul said.

Speaking during the exclusive interview, Paul, who was on a working visit to Nigeria, also said that the change in departure time from Lagos to Atlanta has not negatively impacted demand on the route. "It has been a good decision and it has not impacted demand significantly. We have not seen a material change in demand." he said.

It'll be recalled that, for years, Delta Air Lines operated a 10:30pm departure schedule out of Lagos for a late morning arrival into Atlanta. However, the revised schedule now sees Flight DL55 departing Lagos at 12:00pm, and arriving Atlanta by 8:05pm. All times are local.

Delta began flying between Atlanta and Lagos on 4 December, 2007. The service operates daily using an Airbus A330-200. Delta currently flies to 5 destinations in Africa, including Lagos, Accra, Dakar, Johannesburg, and Cape Town. To book your flights, visit www.delta.com.

With over 900 aircraft, Delta is the second largest airline in the United States of America, by fleet size. Headquartered in Atlanta, it operates over 4,000 daily flights to more than 280 destinations across six continents. It served more than 190 million customers in 2023.