Although the said CRJ-900s were initially used as demo aircraft by the manufacturer and have attended numerous air shows around the world, there is no doubt that these aircraft can be considered "new".
Since there is no scientific or universal definition of a "new" aircraft, any of the following criteria can be considered:
1- Fleet Age (less than a year is reasonable)
2- No previous commercial operator
3- No previous C or D check
4- Airframe+engines in good condition with no prior incidents
The Arik Air CRJ-200s (which I haven't seen yet) cannot be considered as new (re above criteria), and both Mr. Arumemi-Johnson and his son should from now onward refrain from attempting to sell those CRJ-200s to the Nigerian public as "brand new" or even "new" aircraft. A new aircraft is a new aircraft, and a used aircraft is a used aircraft. In the Nigerian context, a 737-300 is a relatively new aircraft, but its not a new aircraft! There is NO Nigerian factor here, it's international-standard terminologies.
Kudos to Arik for purchasing modern "new" planes in the form of CRJ-900s. An article on Airfinancejournal.com mentioned they are negotiating with Boeing for 777, 787, and/or 747-400s. Good luck to them for tomorrow's launch,
a pyramid is built one block at a time. 