Dana Air has found meaningful partnerships outside of aviation by signing sponsorship deals with local football clubs.
Recently, the airline signed a branding deal with Akwa United FC as part of its commitment towards sports development in Nigeria as well as making the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) more glamorous.
Dana is taking after the three Gulf region airlines Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, and adjacent cousin Turkish Air which hold more than one hundred sponsorship deals with some of the most visible and prominent sports teams, events, stadia, and cultural festivals in the world.
Although the monetary value of the sponsorship is kept under wraps, Dana Air will get branding opportunities for the duration of the season and fly the team to all its away matches in the 2018 Nigerian Professional Football League season. Also as part of the deal, the club’s player of the month initiative will be sponsored by Dana Air with a very good largess from the airline.
Speaking at a press conference in Uyo, the airline’s chief operating officer, Mr. Obi Mbanuzuo congratulated the team for winning the 2017 league cup and for starting the current season on an impressive note.
“Just like I said when we also unveiled our sponsorship for Heartland FC of Owerri, it is not all about the branding opportunities or commercials, but our commitment to developing football in Nigeria and supporting the Nigerian league. It is about making our league glamorous and encouraging the players to be the best.
“If we bring the passion with which we follow the teams in the English Premier League (EPL), our league will be better for it. We have taken the lead, and we hope other corporate bodies will look in that direction,” he added.
In his remarks, the chairman of Akwa United, Mr. Paul Bassey said the partnership “is surely a turning point in the development of football in Nigeria.”
“This partnership will definitely ease our travels and we commend Dana Air, Nigeria’s foremost airline for this.’’
Air travel is the safest in the world and with this, Dana Air has taken a lot of burden off the club. The other day, we heard of a team that was involved in a road mishap, thank God the players came out unhurt. We thank Dana Air for giving back to the society and supporting Akwa Ibom State. Dana Air will surely get the value for this sponsorship,” he added.
It would be recalled that Dana Air had recently unveiled a sponsorship deal to Heartland FC of Owerri for the 2018 NPFL season thus becoming first domestic airline to have taken such initiative.
