Minimum wage : Unions disrupt flights at Lagos airport

Some members of aviation unions who are affiliates of the Nigerian Labour Congress and the United Labour Congress on Friday disrupted flight operations for over four hours at the General Aviation Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. 

The unions who are demanding for the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage stormed the airport in their numbers and prevented passengers from checking in for their flights. 

The unions in the sector are: the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE).

Others are the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP).

The airlines affected by the action were Air Peace and Arik Air at the GAT which led to confrontations between the airlines officials and the unionists. 

Reacting to the development, 

Mr Chris Iwarah, Corporate Communications Manager, Air Peace, described the unions action as totally uncalled for because the airline's staffers did not belong to any labour organisation. 

Iwarah said all the airlines morning flight schedule was affected by the restriction of passengers' access to the GAT by the airline. 

He said :" Early this morning, some members of the aviation unions barricaded our terminal and prevented our guests from flying in protest for the implementation of the national minimum wage. 

"This is very unfortunate because they have no right to force our workers to join unions or join their agitations for increased pay. 

"We don't know how your increased pay will benefit us as a people in Air Peace. So,  going to stop our operations is simply an act of provocation and they have no such rights."

However, the spokesperson for the Lagos Airport Police Command, DSP Joseph Alabi, said security operatives were alerted of the situation and quickly restored order.

"Our men are on ground and everywhere is calm. The unions are not preventing people from boarding and the airlines are carrying out their operations without any hindrance," Alabi said. 

The organised labour had called for a nationwide warning strike effective midnight Sept. 26 to press home their demands for the increment of the minimum wage. 

For the second day running, the unions in compliance with the directive,  had

barricaded the offices of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.

Also shut down were the headquarters of the Accident Investigation Bureau and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. 

The unions, in a joint statement said the general strike in the sector would begin on Oct. 2 due to the ongoing NUATE delegate conference in Asaba,  Delta State.

The statement was signed by Mr  Mohammed Safiyanu and Mr Olayinka Abioye, President and General Secretary, NUATE and Mr Illitrus Ahmadu and Mr Frances Akinjole, President and General Secretary, ATSSAN.

Other signatories were Mr Abednego Galadima and Mr Ocheme Aba, President and General Secretary, NAAPE and Mr Yahaya Gusau and Mr Rasaq Saidu ,  President and General Secretary, ANAP.

Arik Air celebrates Nigeria’s Independence with 250 free tickets

Arik Air, Nigeria’s leading airline is giving away 250 free tickets on October 1, 2018 to celebrate Nigeria’s 58^th Independence anniversary.

Customers flying Arik Air on Monday, October 1 have the opportunity of winning complimentary tickets on board as five one-way economy class tickets will be raffled on each and every flight of the day.

In the course of the day’s flights, the crew will conduct a raffle using the seat numbers to draw five winners on each flight for the free one-way economy class domestic tickets.

Speaking on the Independence offer, Arik Air’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Captain Roy Ilegbodu said: “Arik Air is a wholly Nigerian airline and the independence anniversary of the country is an auspicious occasion to appreciate our customers for their loyalty.

“We wish all Nigerians a Happy Independence Anniversary”.

Arik Air is one of the oldest commercial airlines operating in Nigeria. The airline will be celebrating its 12^th anniversary on October 30, 2018.

Air Peace boss says airline to begin flights to Dubai, Sharjah in November

Mr Allen Onyema, the Chairman of Air Peace, says the airline will begin flight operations to the cities of Dubai and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates before the end of November. 

Onyema made the announcement during an interactive session with newsmen on Friday in Lagos. 

Onyema commended the Federal Government for taking the bold decision to suspend the new national carrier project which was a welcomed development to airline operators. 

"It was a bold move by the government and the president did not care about political correctness.

"The decision is therefore a challenge to Air Peace and other Nigerian airlines to rise up to the occasion to fill the void created by the absence of a national carrier," he said. 

According to him, the airline which recently ordered for 10 brand new B737 Max aircraft from Boeing to take its aircraft fleet to 37, is ready to make Nigeria proud on the international routes. 

"We are going to start flights to Dubai and Sharjah before the end of November. We have already acquired four B777 aircraft for that purpose. 

"We are also working on getting permits to begin operations to Houston, London,  Mumbai, Guangzhou-China and Johannesburg," he said. 

Onyema thanked the federal government for granting the approval for the airline to begin operations on the six international destinations but noted that the government needs to protect Nigerian airlines from international aero politics.

He said for instance, no Nigeria airline was currently flying to Europe, America, Middle East and Asia while those operating even within Africa were also being frustrated by some governments.

Onyema said :"Air Peace has lost over N1 billion in six months of flying the West Coast of Africa due to excessive aviation charges by the countries we are flying into. 

"What we are making here is being used to sustain our operations on these routes because we know we have to develop and maintain consistency on them to keep going. 

"However, the airlines from these countries come into Nigeria even on multiple routes and they pay very little to our own government. So, there must be reciprocity of charges .

"It is not just enough for government to give approval for Nigerian carriers to operate abroad but the government should facilitate the fast tracking of their permits and also ensure that they are not frustrated by international aero politics. 

The Air Peace boss maintained that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had been supportive to Nigerian airlines especially with the waiver on importation of aircraft spares and Value Added Tax (VAT). 

He, however urged the government to review the multiple entry granted to foreign airlines and also concession the airports to make them at par with their contemporaries across the world.

Air Peace relaunches Asaba route October 8, adds Abuja to service

Nigeria’s leading carrier, Air Peace has unveiled plans to restart its daily Lagos-Asaba-Lagos flight operations on October 8.

The airline, which pulled out of the route more than two years ago due to safety concerns with respect to the runway of the Asaba Airport, said it would also add Abuja-Asaba-Abuja flights to the service.

A statement signed by Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Mr Chris Iwarah said the airline decided to return to the Asaba route to end the nightmare of air travellers seeking to connect the Delta State capital, Anambra and other adjoining cities.

Air Peace, the statement assured, was going to offer unparalleled on-time, convenient, safe and affordable flight services on the Lagos-Asaba-Lagos and Abuja-Asaba-Abuja routes.

“We are pleased to announce our return to the capital of Delta State, Asaba starting October 8, 2018. Air Peace had to suspend flight operations to the Asaba Airport more than two years ago due to safety concerns with the facility.

“Since we suspended our operations to the airport, members of the flying public have inundated us with calls and appeals to return to end their nightmare on the route.

"While we could feel their pain, there really was not much we could do about it since our decision to pull out was anchored on safety, an issue we could never compromise.

“We are, however, thankful that the Delta State Government had to intervene to give the airport a facelift.

" We have been assured that the airport is now safe to operate into and we cannot but move in immediately to end the woes of members of the flying public wishing to travel to Asaba, Anambra and other connecting cities.

“We are not just restoring our daily Lagos-Asaba-Lagos service, we are also adding Abuja-Asaba-Abuja flights to the offering to meet the yearnings of members of the flying public.

"It promises to be quite an exciting time once more on the Asaba route beginning from October 8”, the statement said.

Dana Air Partners Project Pinkblue, U.S Embassy to train 44 Nigerian Doctors

Dana Air has deepened its Corporate Social Responsibility with the recent Medical oncology training of 44 Nigerian Doctors at the African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja.

The Medical Oncology training held from  Aug. 13 to 25 and is in collaboration with Project Pinkblue, a nongovernmental organisation, U.S Embassy in Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Health.

Speaking on the initiative, the Media and Communications Manager of Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa said, “Giving back to the society in which we operate is part of our secrets of success.

"We are committed to the health and wellbeing of Nigerians and this training is part of the Upgrade Oncology initiative focused on strengthening the capacities of oncology education, medical oncology curriculum, oncology infrastructures and cancer treatment in Nigeria.”

“The training was led by two U.S. based Fulbright Specialists-  Dr. Tracey O’Connor MD, a medical oncologist and associate professor at Rosswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, USA and Dr. Mike Martin MD, medical oncologist and associate professor of Medicine at West Cancer Center, University of Tenesse, Memphis, TN, USA.’’

According to the Executive Director of Project PinkBlue, Mr Runcie Chidebe, The two U.S. based medical oncologists also trained 56 doctors and healthcare workers at Lagos University Teaching Hospital and the 44 oncologists were drawn from all the centres of excellence (CoE) hospitals, namely: University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, University of Port Teaching Hospital, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, University College Hospital, Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, National Hospital Abuja, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Usman Danfodio Teaching Hospital, Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Federal Medical Centre Gusau, Federal Medical Centre Bida,  Federal Medical Centre Abakaliki, and two private facilities namely Lakeshore Cancer Centre and  Asi Upko Diagnostic & Medical Centre.

Runcie while thanking Dana Air for its strong commitment to the fight against cancer in Nigeria since 2014 said “the fight against cancer cannot be won by using just one strategy, we must employ diversified strategies, and engage diversified stakeholders including the private sector.

" For instance, Dana Air has been supporting us since 2014, this is commendable! Let’s not be weary, let’s continue to support activities against cancer by all means possible”.

The Chief Medical Director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Chris Bode who was present to supervise the training commended the initiative and was joined by other guests including  Prof. F.A. Durosinmi-Etti, professor of radiation oncology and the President of Cancer Education and Advocacy Foundation of Nigeria (CEAFON).

 Only recently, Dana Air bagged an award for its nationwide CSR initiatives as the Most Socially Responsible Airline by the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC).

The airline having flown over 2.7million passengers in the last 9 years of its operations is one of Nigeria’s leading airlines with daily flights from Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Uyo, and Owerri.

We represent Nigeria’s greatness, Air Peace tells Nigerians in Ghana

Nigeria's leading airline, Air Peace on Saturday assured Nigerians resident in Ghana that its strides in the aviation industry in West Africa are to project the image of the country positively across the world.

The airline made the declaration at the Nigerian Charity Bazaar hosted by the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana in collaboration with the Nigerian Women Association in Ghana, among other pro-Nigerian groups.

The bazaar was held at the Nigeria House, Accra to rally Nigerians from all walks of life and friends of Nigeria to celebrate the nation's unity in diversity and commitment to charity.

The event was graced by the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, k

Ambassador Michael  Abikoye, the Ambassadors of Pakistan, India, China to Ghana, members of the diplomatic corps as well as leaders of the Nigerian community in Ghana.

 Speaking, Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Mr Chris Iwarah said the airline was changing the negative narrative about Nigeria through its exceptional flight services.

Iwarah, who addressed the diplomats and other dignitaries during a visit to Air Peace stands at the bazaar, said the airline had deepened its commitment to creation of seamless connections in Nigeria, Africa and the world with the signing of an agreement with Boeing for the delivery of 10 brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

He said Air Peace was the first and only airline on the West Coast of Africa to order the state-of-the-art aircraft from Boeing. 

He assured that the carrier, which had so far taken delivery of two of the four Boeing 777 aircraft it recently acquired for its long-haul services to Houston, London, Dubai, Sharjah, Mumbai, Guangzhou-China and South Africa, would continue to strive to make Nigerians proud with its flight operations. 

Air Peace signs multi-million dollar agreement with Boeing, to purchase 10 B737 Max aircraft

Nigerian carrier, Air Peace  has signed a multi-million dollar agreement with aircraft manufacturers, The Boeing Company, for the purchase of 10 brand new B737 Max aircraft. 

The agreement was signed on Thursday at the United States Consulate in Lagos by the Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyema and Boeing Sales Director for West  and Central Africa, Mr Larry Tolliver. 

Speaking at the ceremony, Onyema said each of the Max B737 aircraft cost $113 million but Boeing was gracious to reduce it to an undisclosed amount for  Air Peace following series of negotiations. 

He said the procurement of the aircraft,which is the latest by Boeing, was being financed by Fidelity Bank and would be deployed for Air Peace international operations.

According to him,  the addition of the new planes, which will be delivered soon by Boeing, will increase Air Peace fleet to 37 aircraft in less than four years of operations. 

Onyema said :" We have just signed an order for 10 B737 aircraft from Boeing.  We are interested in creating employment for our people because one of the aircraft can create 500 jobs. 

"We are trying to curb insecurity by creating job opportunities for our people.  Air Peace currently has about 3,000 employees and I believe that is part of our contribution to national development."

He thanked the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for the support given to Nigerian airlines, noting that the anti-corruption campaign of the government had improved the confidence of the international community on Nigerian businesses. 

Onyema, however appealed to the government to find ways of establishing local refineries in order to reduce the high cost of aviation fuel which was affecting the operations of airlines in the country. 

Also, the US Consul General,  Mr John Bray, said the agreement  between both companies would further deepen the relationship between Nigeria and the US. 

Bray said it was a win-win situation for both countries because the deal would create about 3,000 jobs in Nigeria while about 5,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector would be created in the US. 

On his part, Tolliver said the B373 Max aircraft was the fastest aircraft manufactured by Boeing and consumes about 40 per cent less fuel than other Boeing aircraft currently being used by Air Peace. 

He said the aircraft also had passenger appeal because of the modern facilities on-board, stressing that Boeing would be supporting Air  Peace with training and maintenance spares as part of the agreement.  

Speaking on the financing of the procurement, the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo,  said Air Peace had proven its integrity in previous loans given to the airline by the bank. 

He said :" We are proud to have Air Peace as a customer because the airline has integrity and has always paid ahead of time in previous aircraft purchases financed by Fidelity Bank. 

"I know some airlines have gone down in the past due to huge indebtedness to banks but I can tell you that Air Peace is not owing anybody and this is because of the prudence of the airline's management. "

The Federal Government has granted approval to Air Peace to begin  flights to six international destinations  which are London, Dubai, Sharjah, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai and Johannesburg in the next few months.

Dana Air Introduces ‘Smart Booking’ on WhatsApp

Dana Air, Nigeria’s most innovative airline has taken a bold step to revolutionize the ease of booking tickets with the introduction of the ‘smart booking’ on WhatsApp.

According to the airline, with the ‘Smart Booking’ on WhatsApp, guests of the airline can now book and pay immediately, book and pay later, register for Dana Miles or get details of their Dana miles account, get flight update, make inquiries, reservations and lots more.

Speaking on the airline’s cutting edge initiative in the aviation industry, The Accountable Manager/ Chief Operating officer of Dana Air, Mr Obi Mbanuzuo said, Dana Air continues to lead the pack with its innovative ways of getting customers to book with ease and take advantage of the multiple  benefits of interacting with us on our social media platforms especially WhatsApp." 

‘We are always seeking ways to ensure that we offer the best of service and that our customer-centric products appeals to everybody: the  elderly, young, middle-aged, funky, and the busy and all our guests need to do is save the mobile number 07051190363 as contact on their phones to get quick and necessary attention from 7am to 7pm daily’’

''For us, nothing stops you from getting a booking even when you have too many things to do. Just a chat and you will get your booking code to pay conveniently when less busy or before expiry on our website www.flydanaair.com or at any of sales outlets Nationwide.''

‘In 2017, when we launched our self-service kiosk located at MMA2, which enables travelers to book, pay, reschedule or check-in without joining the queue, we promised to continue to deploy necessary technology not just to guarantee ease of booking but to continually exceed the flying aspirations of our guests, and we are delighted to have introduced the smart booking in furtherance of our vision to become Nigeria’s most customer-friendly airline.’’

Dana Air is one of Nigeria’s leading airlines with daily flight from Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Uyo and Owerri. The airline is reputed for its innovative online products

Air Peace To Begin International Flights In November with Four B777 - Allen Onyema

The delivery of your first B777 was done in February and up till now, it has not taken to the sky. What is the issue?

There is no issue at all. You see. A lot of people are saying “Nigerian airlines are not doing well. They cannot compete at the local end, at the international scene, they disappoint passengers and disgrace the country.” Now, we have an airline that wants to get it right. It is true that our aircraft came in in February and up till now, it has not started. We do not want to do international operations with one aircraft. We may have problems if we do something like that. We want to be solid both at the local scene and at the international front. We want to make sure Nigerians are proud of their own. We want to make the international community not to have anything to hold on to, to fault us. So, we want to make sure that we put in place a solid structure for the upcoming international operations. These are the reasons why we have not started. We do not want to go in there (international operations) and come out. We want to make sure we have enough planes to do the international operations. You do not begin international operations with one aircraft. If the aircraft develop fault, what do you do? You disappoint passengers?  You don’t start international operations with even two, which is why we have acquired four (4) B777. We have not started because the others have not come in. And we do not want to rush it. This country should be proud of Air Peace. Enough of the de-marketing of Nigerian airlines. Air Peace has done something even the outside world have been full of commendation for this airline. I will tell you, all the major manufacturers of aircraft, seek to do business with Air Peace. There is no major vendor in the world-may be for spares or for engines, which do not seek to do business with Air Peace. There is no main aircraft dealer that does not seek to do business with Air Peace, because they have do their KYC (Know Your Customer); and they have seen that this company is built on solid integrity. So, it pains me when people in government are always saying “all Nigerian airlines are heavily indebted, are weak, and cannot do anything.”  It pains me and that should stop. We should stop de-marketing our own, because of certain reasons. Air Peace is not stopping anybody from doing anything. We should stop generalising. You could say some of the airlines, but do not say all the airlines. I take exception to that. So, we have not started international operations because we want to prove to the world that airline that is coming from Nigeria is ready to compete globally, for the right reasons. This is why we have not started. We are going to start this year, God willing. By then all our Four (4) B777 wide body aircraft must have come into the country. Then, we will start on a solid note. God forbid, if we have any issue with one aircraft, we will deploy another one.  Air Peace is strong, to God be the glory. The other day we went to Dakar, we had an issue with one aircraft, we do not take chance on anything, and we dispatched another aircraft immediately, because we have the fleet size to do these things. May be another airline would have disappointed passengers; but that is not Air Peace. We have a solid business plan and we are following our business plan. We are true to our banks. We want to make Nigerians proud. We want to become the most sorted after airline out of Nigeria.

Do you have any specific date that the remaining two B777 would come in for you to commence international operations?

There is no specific date. Hopefully, we will start operations in November. The remaining two would have come in.

NCAA recently released that you have airlifted over 340, 000 passengers between January to August. Will you say you are optimally utilising your fleet?

First of all, I do not agree with all that was released. I saw some airlines that I believe did not do what they said they did. I cannot see some of those airlines doing more than Arik did. That is my own take. I do not want to comment on other issues there but I cannot see any airline beside Air Peace having done more than Arik. So, if they said Air Peace is number one, the next one should have been Arik.  There is no way you can optimally use your planes in Nigeria. The airport infrastructure does not support that. And that is why we are saying, the first thing we should do in this country is to improve on our airport infrastructures. From check-in to flight navigational aids, making airport environment conducive, both for operators and passengers. The infrastructure is poor. There is no way airlines will optimally use their equipment. Air Peace has never, because many of the airports in Nigeria close shop at 6pm. So when they close shop at 6pm, where will you go to? Besides Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt; the rest close shop at 6pm. And these are parts of the causes of failure of airlines in Nigeria. It is a capital intensive business. Every penny counts. We must get our airport infrastructure right. It is not about saying Nigerian airlines are weak. I hate it, especially when it comes from government official-I do not find it funny. We should promote our own.  Bring the legacy airlines of this world to come and do domestic operations in Nigeria, they will pack up in 72 hours. We know what we go through.

As a member of IATA where you have 290 airlines, how are you looking at partnering with members of this group to strengthen your operations; because you are in that pool already?

Of course. Even within Nigeria, I have been trying to promote a kind of cooperation with airlines. Each time I try, I hit the brick wall. I have told some of my colleagues that the sky is big enough to accommodate everybody. People should not be looking at Air Peace with envy, they should look at what I am bringing to the table for everybody. We should cooperate more. God will help every airline. We can even do spares pooling. It will help airlines. A lot of distrust. You have a lot of people you cannot trust in the system; that is the truth.  You have a lot people who do not want to hear the truth. You have a lot of people who do not even want to advise government properly within our ranks as airline operators. And we should never blame government if they take any wrong decision at any time, because there are some of us within our ranks as AON (Airline Operators of Nigeria) who do not want to speak the truth that will help both government and and the flying public. Coming to the issue of IATA, Air Peace, like I said, is part  of the things that has not made us to hit the ground running with  our international operations. We do not want to go out there alone. We are seeking partnership with other foreign airlines. We do not want to do point to point. We want to be a one-stop shop airline for passengers. For example, if you are going to Europe, we are able to drop you in London, you should be able to take another of our partners immediately. Assuming you are going to Amsterdam and you use Air Peace to London, there should be another airline that will take our passengers from there to Amsterdam. If you are going to Malaysia, we drop you in Dubai, another airline should be able to take you from Dubai to Malaysia and collecting your luggage in Malaysia. These are the things we want to do. We have got some partnership and we have started integration but I am not going to name them. We have started integration with some foreign carriers-their IT and ours are doing the integration. At the right time, Nigerians are going to enjoy a world class carrier coming out of Nigeria in Air Peace.

What do you think government can do in partnership with airlines to increase the flying public, as we have less than 10 million Nigerians flying annually from the population of close to 200 million?

Nigerians get more comfortable when they are flying international airlines. They believe those ones maintain their aircraft better, because of the not too good incidents of the past.  A lot of people are sceptical about using of any of the domestic carriers.  Some will prefer to travel by road, 10 hours and even be at the mercy of kidnappers. They do not care, because they do not trust Nigerian airlines. Again Nigerian flying public believe that Nigerian airlines are ill-equipped and ill-maintained. Even those that agreed to fly, some of them would start praying four days before their flight. It is a matter of perception. Nigerian airlines are well-maintained because the NCAA (Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority) is on top of their game when it comes to the issue of maintenance. The NCAA is even over-doing it. So, some of the things they could take for granted abroad, we do not here. I speak for myself as Air Peace. First of all, I wanted to give Nigerians a platform by creating employment; that is why I created this airline. I am pro-Nigeria, I am pro-people. We have over 2,000 employees within a space of three years-direct jobs. I am not talking of indirect ones Air Peace created. If government officials over time, not only in this government, keep making statements that “Nigerian airlines are weak”, what do you expect the public to do? I challenge anybody to come and tell the world if Air Peace is weak. Air Peace is the fastest growing airline in the whole of Africa. The kind of money we spend in Air Peace when we go for maintenance, the legacy airlines of this world do not spend half of it. We spend close to $2.5 million to $3 million doing C-Checks and D-Checks in Air Peace. In the western part of this world, because they have everything around them, when they go for C-Checks, they can clear up to 6 months and come back later do the remaining maintenance. When I go for C-Checks, I remove everything (maintenance) up to 24 months. I make sure all the ADs (Airworthiness Directives) and the SBs (Service Bulletins) are observed. Even in America, they tell me that “you are overspending”. I have phobia for flying. It was until when I established Air Peace that I started flying with my entire family; my wife and four children, we travel on Air Peace together. What we are doing in Air Peace is unrivalled. I am not competing with Nigerian airlines, I want to compete with international airlines. That is why within two years, Air Peace received the IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) certification, which is international standard attesting to our safety performance. Not only that, the issue is not even receiving IOSA Certification in the first place; retaining it is the biggest hurdle. Air Peace has retained it. You can find out from those who have not retained it, Air Peace is not within that bracket. We have retained it again and we are member of IATA within a space of two years. We deserve commendation from everybody including government. Some of the news I read do not make me happy and I will speak up. We should start praising our own when we get it right; not try to demean any airline. When we start letting the public know what we are doing and what other airlines are doing, I am not saying there may not be some who may want to cut corners-all I know is that NCAA at least to Air Peace is doing its job. We have been taken to the mills. If the same thing is being done to other airlines, nobody should fear in the Nigerian airspace. I am talking of what NCAA is doing with Air Peace and I like it. When I wanted to start, I decided to outsource my maintenance to a British company, that is why they are here 24/7. It costs us a lot to do that. We are doing it because of safety. When people know that Nigerian airlines have improved, they will fly. And the numbers flying would increase. But the perception has to be done put right. I know of one international airline, if the landing gear is retracting, it will be like earthquake. If that kind of airline comes to Nigeria domestic front, people will feel like jumping out of the plane. Because it is a foreign airline, nobody cares. An airline abroad could keep you inside the plane repairing their engine and all sort of things for three hours-with 99 per cent load factors as Nigerians, nobody talks. But the moment a Nigerian airlines sees sign in the cockpit saying “before we take off we need another 5 minutes to check the sign”, everybody will stand up saying “I want to come down”, pushing and shoving the cabin crew. Why are we doing this to ourselves? This is perception and it is rubbing off on passengers’ figures. If the perception changes, the numbers will go up.

None of Nigerian airlines is part of African Airline Association (AFRAA). What is happening?

AFRAA is just an association. It is not a regulatory body. You belonging to AFRAA does not necessarily give you any known edge. It is just an ordinary association. It is just like AON. I, belonging to AON does not give me any edge, except that it muscles its way on behalf of the airlines through advocacy and all that. You could be one of the unsafe airlines in the world and you still belong to AFRAA. It does not give you that edge. What gives you that edge is membership of IATA and being IOSA certified and that is most important thing. I am not a member of AFRAA, yet, all the major aircraft manufacturers are contacting us.

What date are you looking at to start to start your international operations in November?

We shall announce it when the time comes, but we are starting in November.

If you want to advice the Federal government of Nigeria of what to do to move the industry forward, what will it be?

The first thing is the improvement on airport infrastructure and aviation infrastructures generally. Improvement on them is very key. Don’t let anybody deceive you. This country will never be a hub to anybody or for anybody, except our airport infrastructures are improved upon.

Are you supporting the concessioning of the airports?

Of course. I support the Federal Government intention to concession the airports. I support it 100 per cent. The way the airports are being run now, we are not going to get there. You continue blaming the Nigerian airlines, where not going to get there. Government has no business doing business. So, government running the airports will not even help the government. The best airport in this country remains MMA2, being run by concessionaire.

So, why are you not using MMA2?

Why am I not using it? When Air Peace wanted to start, that was where I wanted to go, but some forces stopped us. It was not my fault. I could not force myself. I discovered that the management of Bi-courtney did not even know I was being stopped by somebody who was then acting. He was not acting in the best of their interest and it was not authorised. I was stopped from operating from MMA2 because I heard some people and airlines said, “If you allow them come in, we will move out”. So, I decided to move to the other side where one airline was occupying to join, I was stopped again. I was floating for months. They pointed to where I am today which was moribund. No live, nothing there. As a new airline, I was scared of going there, because nobody knew us. I wanted to be where other airlines are, so the crumbs from their plates may fall into my own plate. Several forces were working against me, but nobody is God. By now, anybody fighting Air Peace should know that this is God’s own airline. The intention behind setting up of Air Peace is noble.  About 200 orphans are working in Air Peace courtesy of my wife. People should go back to my speech at the inauguration on October 24, 2014. When they pushed us to where we are today, I held a pillar and I wept and prayed because of how they were treating me. Today, what is happening in that place? It took me almost two years to get AOC (Air Operator Certificate), even when I have seven aircraft on ground and everything going well for me. I believe in the oneness and unity of this country. I do not discriminate, but I have had a lot of discrimination against me. Why? Because of where I come from? So, I support concession. The Federal Government is doing right trying to concession the airports. However, I do not support anything that will make anybody loses his or her job. Whoever is going to get the concession should be able to absorb the workforce. Or, they should structure it with government in such a way that those who may not be able to be absorbed, may be taken to other government agencies. They need to concession the airports and the concessionaires should  be paying taxes to the government. Government will make more money that way.

Additions

We have over 100 pilots in Air Peace. We have trained so many pilots ab-initio, to type rating and line training. If you look at my employment policy, a lot people are wondering how we have succeeded; where other people have been failing. If you borrow money from the bank, will you transparently show that bank your book in other for them to get their money back?  Will you pay back what you are owing? Are you treating banks’ money as nobody’s money and having not intent to pay back? We do not do that. Do you own fuel marketers? Are fuel marketers ready to give you fuel even in ‘dry seasons’ when there is no fuel. These are the things going well for Air Peace. When we buy fuel, within 48 hours you must give us your invoice. As long as your invoice come, we pay. When banks loan money to us we pay. We are prudent in our spending. I do not have anybody coming after me. Because of that, my banks are ready to be financing my operations. Fidelity bank as I am talking to you is ready to go the whole haul with us. Some other banks are coming too-because they see that Fidelity is lending and enjoying it. They are lending to us and we are acquiring more aircraft. This is because the banks are supportive. This is because we have integrity. Last year Fidelity gave us about N10 billion in one transaction. I said no that I needed N3 billion out of it. The other N7 billion, I did not touch. At every point in time, I borrow which I can pay back. I try not to owe people unnecessarily. We don’t owe our staff. They are paid on the 25th of every month. This is how I have rolled since 1999 when I venture into business. We brought in on-time departure. People say, “But these days you people delay”. Why won’t we delay when we have over 1000 passengers in the morning and they need to use one security screening point? What do you expect? My pilots get to the airport 5.30am and sit in the cockpit waiting for passengers. Sometimes, delay happen as a result of weather condition. 

Air Peace flays Ojikutu over comments on acquisition of B777 aircraft

Nigeria’s leading carrier, Air Peace has condemned the Secretary General of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASTRI), Mr John Ojikutu for alleging that domestic airlines’ outright acquisition of aircraft is a “clever way for (sic) capital fight”.

Speaking with a national newspaper on the operations of domestic airlines, Ojikutu was quoted as saying: “Something could be wrong with the decisions of those Nigerians in choosing outright buying (of aircraft).

“Believe it or not, it is a clever way for capital flight. Imagine an airline with two B777 paid for outright without designated routes! The cost of each of these aircraft is not less than $150 million.

“Even if the routes are certain, a better option would have been wet lease of about six months that would allow Nigerians to be trained, transferred to the aircraft and thereafter converted to dry lease for another six months. If the routes are unprofitable, the airline can go for outright purchase.”

But reacting to the comments in a statement issued by its Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah, Air Peace said Ojikutu’s position was an undisguised attack on its image as a responsible corporate citizen working flat out to contribute to Nigeria’s economy and do the nation proud through efficient domestic, regional and international air services.

The airline dismissed Ojikutu’s views on outright purchase of aircraft and the option of wet lease as a product of ignorance and envy. Air Peace recently took delivery of its second Boeing 777 aircraft for its planned long-haul operations.

“While we have no problem with people expressing differing opinions on the airline business, we find it quite irresponsible for Ojikutu to allege that our decision to make Nigeria proud with the recent acquisition of two Boeing 777 aircraft was a ‘clever way for (sic) capital fight.’ 

"This is a deliberate attempt to present us before members of the public as a fraudulent organisation working to sabotage and subvert the current efforts of the Federal Government to place the nation’s economy on a sound footing. 

"Even worse, he claimed that a Boeing 777 is sold for no less than $150 million. Nothing can be further from the truth. 

"And it is quite disappointing that a self-proclaimed aviation expert can make this kind of ignorant guesswork in an era where proper information is just a click away. It is no longer a secret that the so-called security expert has put himself at odds with the success of Air Peace and in satisfaction of his desire to bring domestic airlines down for his foreign paymasters and collaborators to continue to pillage the economy of our dear nation.

“It is elementary knowledge that the option of wet lease has brought a lot of Nigerian airlines and their counterparts elsewhere down. 

"We begin to wonder the motivation for Ojikutu’s comments. When Air Peace went public with the number of aircraft in its fleet, the same so-called security expert doubted it and tried in vain to discredit us as purveyors of falsehood. Now that the aircraft are coming in, he is changing the rhythm of his attacks.

“Not for once has he congratulated Air Peace on its feat in the Nigerian aviation industry for obvious reasons. The success of Air Peace signals the end of the ‘undertaker’ job for Ojikutu and his co-travellers.

" All they do is rubbish anything Nigerian and move on to pass themselves off to foreign airlines as consultants for filthy cash to line their pockets.

“We reaffirm our resolve to end the domination of our airspace by foreign carriers at the detriment of Nigeria’s economy. 

"Contrary to Ojikutu’s claim, we have trained a lot of Nigerian pilots and engineers on the operation of the Boeing 777 aircraft and we would continue to do so as we expand our operations.

“But for crass ignorance, Ojikutu should have known that the aircraft an operator wishes to use for its regional and international operations is part of the items that must be made available before such airline could apply to operate into such destination.

" It is also the height of mischief for Ojikutu to pretend not to know that the Federal Government has since designated Air Peace to operate flights to Houston, London, Dubai/Sharjah, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai and South Africa. 

“We warmly welcome Ojikutu and his like to set up their own airline and put their baseless theories into practice. While we would not stop them from moving from one office to another seeking consultancy contracts, we urge them to stop peddling ignorance, refrain from making baseless comments about the aviation industry they know nothing about and confine themselves to their guard duties, where their knowledge is also suspect,” Air Peace said.

14th Edition of Akwaaba Travel and Tourism Market kicks off at Eko Hotel, Lagos

The best of photos from 14th Edition of Akwaaba Travel and Tourism Expo

Air Peace flight returns to base over false smoke alarm, NCAA renews licence

Air Peace Lagos-Owerri flight returned to base on Friday after a passenger on board informed the crew that he was smelling smoke in the cabin.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Thursday renewed the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of the carrier after months of rigorous audit of its operations.

A statement issued by Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah said the Owerri-bound flight had to return to Lagos as a precautionary measure and in line with the airline’s zero-risk policy.

The flight, the statement said, landed smoothly in Lagos with passengers on board maintaining their calm.

Checks by Air Peace engineers, the statement added, confirmed that there was no smoke anywhere in the aircraft.

“We confirm that our 9 a.m. Lagos-Owerri flight returned to base on Friday after one of our esteemed guests informed our crew that he was smelling smoke in the cabin.

"Although nothing indicated in the flight deck that there was anything wrong with the aircraft, our crew decided to return to base as a precautionary measure and in compliance with our zero-risk policy.

“The aircraft landed smoothly in Lagos and our team of engineers immediately conducted thorough checks on the aircraft while all our guests calmly remained in their seats.

"The checks confirmed that there was neither smoke nor any other fault with the aircraft.

" Despite the assurances of our engineers that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the aircraft, we decided to transfer our valued guests to another aircraft to enable our teams do another round of checks in line with our high safety standards.

“We commend our valued guests for their calm disposition and cooperation while the checks lasted.

" Although checks by our engineers confirmed that the aircraft was in perfect working condition, we encourage our guests to always feel free to share anything they notice in our flight operations with us as critical stakeholders of the Air Peace family”, the airline said.

In another development, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has renewed the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of the carrier after subjecting its operations to months of rigorous audit.

The AOC signed by the Director General of the NCAA, Capt. Usman Muhtar, said Air Peace was authorised to undertake scheduled, cargo and charter operations.

Speaking on the development, Iwarah said it confirmed the sustenance of the high standard of Air Peace’s flight operations.

The airline assured that it would continue to place the safety of its guests and crew above any other consideration.     

Technovation: Air Peace hails, rewards victorious Anambra students with free tickets

Nigeria’s leading carrier, Air Peace has congratulated five Anambra State students and their teachers on emerging victorious in the recent Technology challenge held in the United States, honouring them with free return Owerri-Abuja tickets to facilitate their visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday.

The five Anambra students from Regina Pacies Secondary School, Onitsha represented Nigeria and Africa at the World Technovation Challenge in the Silicon Valley in San Francisco, United States and defeated Spain, USA, Turkey, Uzbekistan and China to lift the gold medal in the contest.

They were billed for a reception by the Federal Government at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday in company with Miracle Igboke, their mentor and Chief Executive Officer of Edufun Technik STEM, Uchenna Onwuamaegbu Ugwu and principal, Rev. Fr Vincent Ezeaka.

The girls won the technology contest with the mobile application innovation, FD-Detector they developed to assist in checking fake pharmaceutical products in Nigeria.

A statement signed by Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah said the carrier was proud of the schoolgirls’ rare feat.

The development, Air Peace insisted, was proof that its effort to develop engineering capacity in Nigeria’s aviation industry was not a misplaced venture.

“We are very proud of the feat of these young girls from Nigeria. At Air Peace, we believe that given the right environment and encouragement Nigerians will excel in all their undertakings. These girls have proved beyond a doubt that Nigerians possess everything it takes to rank among the best in the world.

“This is the motivation for the huge investment Air Peace has continued to make in the training of young Nigerians in aviation engineering. We will continue to recognise, encourage and reward excellence,” the airline said.

Medview Airline opens sales office at Sheraton Hotel

Ahead of the arrival of a number of its aircraft that went for maintenance, Medview Airline has started to broaden its marketing base with the opening of sales office at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja

In a statement, the airline said the new office will cater for the needs of customers in Ikeja axis and its environs, who cannot make their purchase online or go the airport.

According the CEO, Alhaji Muneer Bankole “our philosophy is to make our services available to all and sundry, devoid of bottlenecks associated with the city traffic”. 

 Bankole said the new sales office is active seven days a week and will compliment the airline sales points located at various airports nationwide, city offices, travel agents as well as online globally.

Air Peace begins night flights on regional routes

Nigeria’s leading carrier, Air Peace has boosted its regional operations with the introduction of night flights out of Lagos, Accra, Banjul and Dakar.

A statement signed by the carrier’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah quoted the Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olajide as saying the new flights were part of the airline’s strategy to make air travel on the West Coast of Africa seamless and more beneficial.

Olajide described that night flights, which commenced from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Sunday, as a relief for business and leisure travellers on the West Coast looking to utilise their trips to transact their business unrushed.

“We keep reviewing our regional operations in line with our promise to provide seamless, on-time and comfortable flight services. Whatever the travel needs of our esteemed guests, we want to be able to provide a service that fits their plans.

“We have been operating on the West Coast of Africa for more than a year and a half. One thing we have come to realise is that a lot of persons like to travel at night and get to their destinations on time to do their transactions in a calm, unhurried and fruitful manner.

"This is the interest we are catering to with the introduction of night flights. We want our valued guests to arrive at their destinations, go about their business as they wish and still have enough time to prepare for their return trips.

“This is just the beginning of the new innovations and win-win travel options we are bringing to air travel on the West Coast of Africa. We value our guests and are always ready to make our flight schedules and timings as comfortable as possible for them”, she said.

Speaking on the development, a passenger on the night flight from Dakar to Lagos, Nchang Damarisambem said the option met her desire to arrive Lagos on time and continue her onward journey to Calabar for her transaction.

The flight, she said, was a pleasant experience. She pleaded with Air Peace to extend its operations to Yaounde, Cameroun, her country to give the people an opportunity of experiencing its spectacular flight services.

Another passenger on the  Dakar-Lagos flight, Turay Fatmataba said she preferred the night option for long-distance travel. She said the night flight was an easier option for her to get to Freetown, her final destination.