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.

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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.

Air Peace takes delivery of another B777, set for international operations

Nigerian carrier, Air Peace, has taken delivery of another  Boeing B777-300 aircraft in preparation for its commencement of international operations.

The 320 capacity  aircraft, christened "Ojochide", touched down at the Murtala Muhammed International  Airport, Lagos at about 1.45 pm on Saturday. 

The aircraft, which was flown in from Dublin, Ireland by Capt. Victor Efionu and Senior Flight Officer Emmanuel  Iwhiwhu, was received by the  Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace, Mrs Oluwatoyin Olajide and other top aviation personnel. 

Olajide told newsmen that Air Peace  had taken delivery of its first B777-200 aircraft in February, stressing that two more aircraft were being expected before the end of the year to boost the airline's international operations. 

She noted that the Federal Government had granted approval to Air Peace to begin  flights to six international destinations  which are London, Dubai, Sharjah, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai and Johannesburg.

"We are very happy with taken delivery of another of our B777 aircraft in preparation for our international operations and we are looking at commencing operations on one of the routes before the last quarter of the year. 

"We believe that this will enable us to create more employment opportunities for Nigerians because that is the reason why we exist. We want to help curb the unemployment situation in the country,"Olajide said. 

According to her, the move will also impact the Nigerian economy positively because it will give Nigerians the opportunity to travel in comfort and safety at affordable fares and help them connect the world.

She thanked the present administration for the support given to Nigerian airlines through removal of Value Added Tax and waivers on aircraft spares. 

The B777-300 aircraft has 12 First Class, 48 Business Class and 260 Economy Class  and it is usually used for long-haul flights.