Allen Onyema, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Peace, has bragged that he has the backing of the Nigerian government, expressing gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo.
Tinubu, and Keyamo, according to Onyema, are solidly behind Air Peace even as the airline enters international flights to the United Kingdom (UK).
Onyema showed his appreciation during an exclusive interview on the Channels TV evening program, Politics Today, where he shared insights into his airline’s experience after launching the Lagos-London route.
During the interview, he went on to berate foreign airlines operating the Nigeria-UK route for allegedly frustrating and sending Air Peace out of international operations by slashing flight prices on the route.
The CEO of Air Peace pointed out that before his airline entered the Nigeria-UK route, foreign airlines charged exorbitant prices, with business class tickets costing as much as N17 million and economy class going to N5 million, attributing these high fares to the exchange rate.
Onyema claimed that just weeks after his airline started operating on the Lagos-London route, the same foreign airlines drastically reduced their fares in an attempt to oust Air Peace, even though there was no significant change in the exchange rate between the dollar and the Naira.
Onyema expanded on the matter, stating that international airlines are colluding to reduce their ticket prices to levels that are lower than their operational costs. According to him, they resorted to doing this to force Air Peace out of the Nigeria-UK route. He cautioned that if these foreign airlines achieve their goal, Nigerians would be subjected to significantly higher fares compared to the existing rates.
Although Onyema expressed gratitude for the support received from the Federal Government, particularly from Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, in the successful launch of Air Peace’s Lagos-London route, he urged the government to take further action.
In his words, he stated; “It is a very devilish conspiracy.
“All of a sudden, airlines are underpricing.
“The idea is to take Air Peace out.
“The moment they succeed in taking Air Peace out, Nigerian will pay 20 times over,”
He emphasized the necessity of taking action against international airlines that are reducing prices below their break-even levels, with the intention of pushing Air Peace out of the Nigeria-UK route ahead of schedule.
READ ALSO: Dr Arikana, Enabulele, Others Team Up For Ubuntu Awakening Summit
Onyema also used the opportunity to invite other Nigerian airlines to join the Nigeria-UK route to break the monopoly hitherto enjoyed by foreign carriers operating into the four major gateway airports of Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt.
“I invite other Nigerian airlines to join the fray, let them come, let all of us do international operations. Yes, international aero politics is very dirty but somebody must pay the price,” he said.
Onyema proposed that the government consider lowering Air Peace’s operational fees in order to give the airline a stronger position to compete with foreign carriers supported by their respective governments.
Back story
On the 30th of March 2024, Air Peace reciprocated what could be described as the lopsided Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the United Kingdom when the local airline began direct flight operations from Lagos to Gatwick Airport in London.
Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, and his counterpart at the Trade and Investment Ministry, Doris Uzoka-Anita, were onboard the inaugural Lagos-London flight alongside businessmen and women.
Many industry observers have applauded Air Peace and encouraged more local airlines to commence international flights to profitable routes.
Air Peace achieves new milestone
The airline which was founded in 2013 now operates direct flights with its luxury wide-body Boeing 777 aircraft to these destinations.
While commenting on the milestone, Air Peace Chairman, Allen Onyema, stated that the airline has secured a Foreign Carrier Operator Permit, FCOP, which allows airlines from other regions to fly to Europe, and a Third Country Operator Permit (TCO-UK) that enables airlines to operate to the UK.
He also added that he has obtained permits that qualify his company to fly to the UK while noting that before one can obtain the approval, the person has to go through a thorough audit which he passed.
