My First International Night Flight Experience from Kano to Egypt

It was around 2 a.m. when I finally boarded the plane at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. The night air was calm, but my heart was not. It was racing, not from fear, but from excitement, from the surreal feeling of stepping into a moment I had long imagined but never experienced. My first international flight. My first trip beyond the familiar borders of Nigeria. My first journey to Egypt was for a mission experience and training.

I had traveled before, of course- short flights, long bus rides, the usual hustle of local movement. But this was different. Everything about the atmosphere carried a weight of meaning. The announcement over the speaker sounded like a song I did not want to end. Even the boarding pass felt like a passport to possibility.

As the plane took off, I felt the subtle lift that separates the earth from the sky. It was a moment both thrilling and humbling. Looking out the window since I actually sat by, the city lights of Kano shimmered like scattered gold dust beneath a dark blanket. In that instant, I thought of how those lights represented the people, the noise, the struggles, and the dreams that had shaped me. Leaving the ground felt like temporarily leaving those realities behind, yet they were also the reason I was flying in the first place.

The cabin lights dimmed, and the night grew deeper. There is something profoundly reflective about flying at night. The world outside is silent and black, and all you can see are the faint glows of distant cities and the occasional flicker of stars. In that silence, thoughts find room to wander. I found myself thinking about the purpose of the journey, the people I would meet, the experiences that might reshape how I saw my work and life.

There was also a quiet gratitude that settled in. I thought of the little sacrifices that made this moment possible, by my family’s understanding, the late nights preparing documents, and the prayers said in whispers. It was humbling. I was not just traveling for myself; I was representing something in my home, my team, perhaps even my generation.

Somewhere above the clouds, the flight attendants began serving food. It wasn’t about the taste (though I remember enjoying it), but the feeling of being part of a rhythm that was new. Everything was unfamiliar: the accent of the crew, the texture of the meal, even the way people spoke softly across aisles. I could not help but think of how vast the world truly is, and how small we all seem when suspended thousands of feet above the earth.

I did not sleep much that night for the 4-hour journey. The hum of the engine became a kind of lullaby for reflection. Between sips of juice and short glances through the window, I found myself writing down thoughts, prayers, and simple observations. There is a certain creativity that comes when you are cut off from the usual noise of life. Up there, it is just you, your thoughts, and the steady assurance that you are moving forward - quite literally.

When the captain finally announced our descent into Cairo, the horizon began to blush with dawn. The city lights of Egypt sparkled below like scattered jewels. I felt that same mix of awe and nervousness that comes with stepping into a new chapter.

Touching down in Egypt marked my crossing of a personal threshold, from aspiration to experience. That night flight from Kano taught me something quiet but lasting; that sometimes, growth happens in the in-between. Growth happens in the space between departure and arrival, in the silence between heartbeats, in the calm of a night sky that reminds you how far you have come and how far you still can go.

And as I walked out into the cool Egyptian morning, box in hand, I whispered to myself, “This is only the beginning.”

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