Ooni hails Air Peace boss over contributions to Nigeria’s economy, peace

Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Adeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja II has commended the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyema for his tireless contributions to the economic development and peace of the South West Region and Nigeria as a whole.

Speaking during a visit to Air Peace Corporate Headquarters in Lagos on Wednesday, the Ooni assured Onyema that the Yoruba were deeply appreciative of his role in the development of their land.

The monarch, who was represented by two of his Cultural Ambassadors, Alfred Oladotun Taylor and MorounRanti Ashabi, presented prized Ife artwork and other special gifts to the Air Peace boss as a “sign of my heartfelt appreciation of your person and your contributions to the throne of Oduduwa.”

The artwork presented to Onyema, Ambassadors Taylor and Ashabi explained, signified the depth of the Ooni’s recognition of the Air Peace boss’ contributions to the development of the Yoruba nation.

They described the gift as one of the most prized assets of Ife.

Responding, Onyema said the Ooni’s gesture was a challenge to continue to work for the development and peace of the Yoruba nation and the country as a whole.

He expressed gratitude to the royal father for recognising excellence beyond ethnic considerations, urging Nigerians to emulate the Ooni’s example to guarantee the oneness, peace and development of the country.

Air Peace, he said, was established to create massive job opportunities, seamlessly connect business and leisure travellers to their destinations and ensure that the country was adequately represented in the global aviation community.

Air Peace currently operates into and out of 14 domestic and five regional destinations, including Accra, Freetown, Banjul, Monrovia and Dakar.

It is also concluding the process of launching its long-haul flights to Dubai, Sharjah, London, Houston, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai and Johannesburg. 

The carrier, which recently penned a deal with American planemaker for the delivery of 10 brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, is now the biggest airline in West Africa.

Dana Air Wins Best Domestic Airline on Passenger Facilitation

Dana Air has won the award for the Best Domestic Airline on Passenger facilitation at the 2018 edition of the Nigerian Aviation Awards (NIGAV), held recently at Oriental Hotel Lagos.

The Nigerian Aviation Awards is Nigeria’s most prestigious air transport development award which has become the benchmark for excellence in promoting best practices and innovation among Foreign and domestic airlines, service providers and aviation agencies in Nigeria.

Mr Fortune Idu, the Head of Planning and Event Committee, of the Nigerian Aviation Awards in his opening remarks said over 100 recipients have so far been honored in various categories for their performance, excellence, innovation and professionalism and we will continue to recognize them as this is the only way to encourage them to continue on the path of excellence.’’

The Commissioner of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Mr Akin Olateru, while presenting the award to Dana Air, described the airline as vibrant and always doing great things. The AIB Chief, who also won the Aviation CEO of the year award, encouraged the airline to continue offering its guests the best of service.’’

The Media and Communications Manager of Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa while speaking to newsmen after the award described it as an end of the year brace. He said the airline keeps innovating for the sake of its passengers and the award was a good way to end the year 2018.

‘I will describe this award as a brace! What an amazing way to end the year for an airline that continues to innovate for the purpose of surpassing the flying aspirations of its guests. This award is quite encouraging for us and this will spur us to continue offering our guests what they desire and these includes offering them pocket-friendly fares, Good customer service, On time departures and arrivals, innovative reward system, world-class in-flight service and above all taking them from point A to B safely.’’

Only recently, Dana Air bagged two awards as Best Domestic Airline at DAMA awards and another for its humanitarian efforts across the country. The airline recently celebrated 10 years of service to Nigeria with a promise to cover more cities and acquire more aircraft in the coming year.

Air Peace clears air on Lagos-Enugu flight incident

Air Peace has dismissed reports alleging that one of its aircraft almost crashed on the Lagos-Enugu route on Friday, describing the claims as an unfortunate misrepresentation of facts.

A statement issued by the airline’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr Chris Iwarah on Monday said the aircraft experienced a change in cabin pressure en-route to Enugu and its flight crew had to do the normal technical manoeuvre by descending to a level comfortable enough for passengers on board.

The carrier debunked insinuations that the aircraft involved in the incident might not have been properly maintained, explaining that the aircraft secured a renewal of its certificate of airworthiness (C of A) on December 10.

The aircraft, the airline added, also went for its mandatory comprehensive maintenance checks (C-checks) abroad and got its certificate of release to service (CRS) in September 2017.

C-checks are normally done on aircraft every 18 months. At the end of the checks, a CRS is issued to confirm the maintenance done.

Air Peace insisted that its aircraft were not only maintained at some of the best facilities in the world, but also had a reputation for spending millions of dollars on each C-check exercise to ensure its aircraft were in top shape because of the premium it placed on the lives of its customers and crew. 

The carrier said in line with its strict maintenance and safety standards, it had retained the services of BCT Aviation of the United Kingdom for its routine maintenance programme on ground its base in Lagos 24 hours of the day throughout the year.

The airline described change in cabin pressure as a common occurrence in aviation across the world, including Europe and America.

“On Friday, December 14, 2018, our Lagos-Enugu flight experienced a change in cabin pressure. Where there is a change in cabin pressure, the oxygen masks will automatically drop from the panel for use by passengers on board the aircraft. This exactly was what happened on Friday.

"During safety briefings, passengers are advised to pull on the mask to trigger the flow of oxygen. The flow of oxygen is expected to last about 12 minutes within which the flight crew would descend to a comfortable altitude (usually below 10000 feet above sea level).

"Change in cabin pressure is a common occurrence in aviation across the world, including the UK and America.

“Once there was a change in cabin pressure, the oxygen masks on the aircraft automatically deployed. And in line with standard safety procedure, our flight crew performed a technical manoeuvre by descending to a level comfortable enough for passengers on board.

"We, however, observed cases of some passengers who did not properly fit their oxygen masks. A few others, perhaps out of panic, pulled too hard on the oxygen masks, causing the equipment to snap.

" This led to the unfortunate claims that there was no flow of oxygen from the masks. For the avoidance of doubt, the oxygen generators are part of the items of interest during C-checks. So, it could not have been right that there was no flow of oxygen.

“While it is quite expected and understandable that passengers would panic on occurrence of incidents such as a change in cabin pressure, the claims of a near-crash were a regrettable misrepresentation of facts which really should not be.

"The aircraft was ferried from Enugu back to Lagos in less than an hour of safely landing at destination. Certainly, no crew would fly an aircraft that is not airworthy.

The aircraft involved in the incident had its certificate of airworthiness renewed on Monday, December 10, 2018. The aircraft also went for its mandatory comprehensive maintenance checks (C-checks) abroad and got its certificate of release to service (CRS) in September 2017. C-checks are usually done on aircraft every 18 months. At the end of the checks, a CRS is issued as evidence of the maintenance done.

" In line with our strict maintenance and safety standards, we retain the services of BCT Aviation of the United Kingdom for our routine maintenance programme on ground our base in Lagos 24 hours of the day throughout the year. 

“We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused our loyal customers as a result of the incident and wish to reassure them that we place huge premium on the lives of our esteemed guests and crew and will never do anything to put them in harm’s way.

"We have had four years of accident-free flight operations and we are very determined to sustain our reputation and record. We thank members of the public for their generous show of love and trust in us to continue to deliver exceptional, safe and comfortable flight services to them,” Air Peace said.

Dana Air bags two crew proficiency awards

 Dana Air has shown clear leadership in crew professionalism among domestic airlines in Nigeria as it crew clinched the Excellent Crew Professionalism Award, and Cabin Crew Excellent Award at the Nigerian Aviation Business Exhibition 2018 and Cabin Crew fair 2018 held in Lagos recently.

The Aviation Business and Exhibition 2018 and the Cabin Crew Fair 2018 organised by Mamanaviworld and Mama J Aviation Consult respectively, are platforms designed for stakeholders to deliberate on industry best practices, human capacity development and way forward for Nigeria’s aviation industry.

Commenting on the double crew excellence awards, the Chief Operating Officer of Dana Air Mr Obi Mbanuzuo said, ‘Dana Air is proud of the level of professionalism that our crew have exhibited in the last 10 years of our operation.

"They have been highly trained and these awards are testament to the level of courtesy and professionalism they bring to bear in not just ensuring the comfort of our guests but as safety officers.’’

Speaking further, Obi said, recently, we reaffirmed our commitment to professionalism in the industry with our sponsorship of the first-ever cabin crew reality TV show in partnership with the Crew Training Institute, and this is part of our commitment to train and impact prerequisite knowledge and soft skills needed for aspiring cabin crew.’’

He noted that the Dana Air crew also made the airline proud at the last two editions of the Nigerian Aviation Awards where one of its cabin crew members, Joy Louis, bagged the Air Crew of the year award for her human relations and efficiency, while two other members of the airline’s crew (Collins Ginika and Chiogo Okani ) beat other domestic airlines crew to the King and Queen of the Air contest crown. 

Obi maintained that Dana Air will continue to be a leading light and will to do its best to encourage best practices and professionalism in the industry.   

Dana Air recently celebrated 10 years of service to Nigeria with a record breaking load factor, an unrivaled on-time performance, world-class in-flight service and customer-centric products and services 

Flight shortage: Air Peace pledges to rescue travellers with more flights

Air Peace on Thursday urged members of the flying public not to panic over the shortage of scheduled flights on domestic routes, assuring that it would soon deploy more aircraft to service destinations currently experiencing air travel difficulties.

A statement issued by Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Mr Chris Iwarah said the carrier was concerned about reports of shortage of scheduled flights across the country and was ready to do everything within its capacity to ease the pain of air travellers.

The airline confirmed that the nation had been facing air travel difficulties since it reviewed its flight schedule downward on account of five of its aircraft it pulled out of service and sent abroad for C-check.

“In the last few weeks, we have been inundated with demands for flights by members of the flying public who wish to travel but could not secure seats as almost all our flights on major domestic routes are fully booked. We are genuinely concerned about the plight of the travelling public and sincerely empathise with them.

“The situation became dire after we recently pulled out five of our aircraft from service for maintenance abroad and had to necessarily review our flight schedule downward to avoid delaying our valued customers.

"A check on our reservation platform indicates that almost all our flights are fully booked till the end of the year.

“We, however, are aware of the role we play in ensuring seamless air travel in Nigeria and are not going to let down our dear country and members of the flying public now that they need us the most.

"We urge members of the flying public not to entertain any fear. Beginning from Sunday, most of our aircraft that went for C-check will start to return to join our operations.

"We are soon going to schedule more flights and deploy more aircraft across our domestic routes.

“We have also made plans to cater to the upsurge expected during the Yuletide. A lot of flights would be scheduled from around December 17 to seamlessly take those travelling for Christmas and the New Year to their destinations.

"As an airline that prioritises safety and places a premium on the lives of our valued guests and crew, we have undertaken comprehensive maintenance of most of our aircraft to ensure their readiness for our end-of-year operations.

"This is the least we can do for our esteemed customers and nation for their support for us. We will do everything within our capacity to rise to the challenge of air travel currently facing our nation and deliver exceptional service that is sure to leave the flying public truly comfortable, proud and satisfied,” Air Peace assured.

Air Peace boss tasks cabin crew members on customer service

The Chairman of Air Peace, Dr Allen Onyema has urged cabin crew members to deepen their customer service and crisis management skills to forge a better relationship between airlines and their passengers.

Onyema made the call at the 2nd Cabin Crew Fair 2018 organised by MamaJ Aviation Consult Limited at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Annex, Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos on Saturday.

In a related development, the Air Peace boss and the carrier’s Cabin Services Manager, Florence Opia have been honoured with the Outstanding Aviation Personality of the Year and the Cabin Crew Excellence awards respectively.

Delivering the keynote address at Cabin Crew Fair with the theme: “Raising the Bar of the Cabin Crew Profession,” Onyema commended Nigerian cabin crew members for acquitting themselves creditably in their primary roles of ensuring the safety, security and comfort of air travellers.

He, however, urged Nigerian cabin crew members to do much more in delivering top-notch customer service throughout their flights and learn to de-escalate crises before they degenerate.

The Air Peace chairman, who was represented by the airline’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah, said cabin crew members were a critical link between an airline and its passengers.

Where cabin crew members failed to provide good customer service, he warned, an airline would be negatively impacted no matter the quality of its flight services.

He urged Nigerian cabin crew members to be proud of their origin and project the beautiful cultures of their country in everything they do, including their communication style.

Onyema confirmed that Air Peace had provided employment for almost 300 cabin crew members, pledging to continue to provide opportunities for Nigerians to exhibit their skills and make the nation proud in the global aviation industry.

He commended the Chief Executive Officer of MamaJ Aviation Consult Limited, Joy Ogbebor for working tirelessly to promote Nigerian cabin crew members and deepen standards in the profession in the country. Onyema urged cabin crew members to emulate the fine standards represented by Ogbebor.

Meanwhile, Onyema and Air Peace Cabin Services Manager, Florence Opia have received MamaJ Aviation Consult Limited’s Outstanding Aviation Personality of the Year and Cabin Crew Excellence awards respectively.

Chief Executive Officer of MamaJ Aviation Consult Limited, Joy Ogbebor said Onyema was honoured for immensely supporting the “development of the cabin crew profession and provision of job opportunities to the highest number of cabin crew members in the industry.”

She said Opia was recognised for her role in “management training monitoring, mentoring and motivation of cabin crew members to meet safety standards and deliver excellent service.”

Dana Air celebrates 10 years of service to Nigeria

Dana Air has marked its 10th anniversary in Nigeria’s aviation industry with a strong commitment to continue to offer its guests the best of service hinged on safety and customer satisfaction.

The Chief Operating Officer of Dana Air Mr Obi Mbanuzuo, gave the assurance while speaking with newsmen on Monday in Lagos to mark  the airline's 10th anniversary of operations in Nigeria. 

The carrier started flight operations on Nov. 10,2008 and has flown over 2.7 million passengers since then. 

Mbanuzuo said Dana Air was proud to be celebrating 10 years of providing massive job opportunities, capacity development, training and  broad corporate social responsibility and most of all, amazing  flight service to Nigeria and Nigerians.

He said :"When we commenced operations 10 years ago, our desire was change the convention and exceed the flying aspiration of our guests with our world-class services 

"Today, with the support and loyalty of our esteemed guests, we have been able to achieve 10 years of service to Nigerians.

‘’As you may be aware, we are about the second private domestic airline in Nigeria’s history to achieve this feat, and it’s on record that over 60 airlines have gone under without being able to even survive even five years in the industry.

" It hasn’t been easy as we have had to grapple with a lot of challenges in the last 10 years ranging from infrastructure, multiple taxes, and high cost of aviation fuel, but we are delighted to have been able to brave the storm.

" I must say our commitment, proficient management style, high standards, and passion for excellence brought us this far."

Mbanuzuo said the airline had done a lot through its CSR programme (Dana Foundation) which had helped to raise millions of naira for the sickle cell foundation in Lagos, as well as autism patients.

" We have also supported a couple of other similar organisations like Rotary Club on blood donation and cancer fighting organizations like project PinkBlue, Children Living with Cancer Foundation just to mention a few," he added. 

Commenting on the airline’s sponsorship of two Nigerian clubs, Mbanuozo said Dana Air was  the only Nigerian airline at the moment sponsoring two Nigerian league clubs- Heartland FC of Owerri and Akwa United FC in Akwa Ibom State.

He said the airline had also  made significant and firm progress in its strategic route and fleet expansion programme.

 The accountable manager said: "Our good understanding of the workings of the industry has been an added advantage and very soon we will announce the steps and progress made. It is our desire to cover more cities in Nigeria but we have to be strategic about it.

"Having flown over 2.7m passengers in the last 10 years of our operations with an on-time performance and  a world-class in-flight service that is yet to be unrivaled, our desire is to do another 10 years offering Nigerians the best of service hinged on customer satisfaction and safety. "