The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • NAHCO promotes over 800 workers

    •Idris Yakubu is new CEO

    No fewer than 846 workers of the 2,000 Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc. workforce have been promoted.

    The exercise, according to its spokesman, Tayo Ajakaye, was unprecedented in the sector as it represented more than 45 per cent of the company’s workforce.

    The step by the ground handling company, Ajakaye said, was approved by the board of directors last week as part of its staff improvement programme.

    The promotion, Ajakaye said, came against the backdrop of an economy that is still in technical recession to demonstrate the value the firm places on its staff.

    In a statement to announce the promotion, the outgoing Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer,  Mrs. Folashade Ode, said  the  exercise was based on well – defined criteria that ensured fairness and transparency

    She restated the company’s resolve to keep a happy and well–motivated workforce.

    The statement read: “A more transparent, performance driven reward and compensation system will be put in place to improve our overall service quality with positive impact on our revenue and profitability.”

    She urged all staff to reciprocate the Board’s kind gesture by rededicating themselves to their duties to further enhance NAHCO’s progress.

    The promotion exercise came about two years after the company promoted 390 of its staff. It was carried out in September 2015 and was widely applauded by the aviation unions and other stakeholders, who urged other operators in the industry to emulate NAHCO’s commendable welfare policies.

    Only in July this year, the company effected salary increment with some members of staff getting as much as 15 per cent increase in their salaries.

    In a related development, NAHCO has announced  the appointment of Mr. Yakubu Idris as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.

    Yakubu will take over from Mrs. Folashade Ode, who was appointed in an acting capacity following the exit of Mr. Norbert Bielderman on August 31, 2017.

    Yakubu joined NAHCO with a vast wealth of experience, spanning 28 years in financial management, leadership, strategy, business development, organisational change and business renewal.

  • DANA Air gets IATA membership certificate 

    DANA Air gets IATA membership certificate 

    Dana Air has has received its membership certificate from the International Air Transport Association ( IATA).

    The airline has however, assured its passengers of its commitment to continue to raise the bar of its operational efficiency with an airline model that guarantees sustainability and professionalism in Nigeria’s aviation industry.

    The Accountable Manager of Dana Air, Mr Obi Mbanuzuo made this known blast week during the official presentation of the membership certificate of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to DANA Air in Lagos.

    He said the airline will continue to maintain global best practices in the aviation industry while still churning out world-class initiatives to exceed the flying aspirations of its ever-increasing membership of the airlines’ loyalty program –Dana Miles.

    He said :” Since becoming an IATA member, we have received a barrage of requests for interline and code-share agreements and we can’t wait to take our unrivaled services in Nigeria to the global stage.

    DANA  Air remains uncompromising in its commitment to maintaining global best practices and as always, we will continue to churn out world-class initiatives to meet and exceed the flying aspirations of our teeming passengers .’’

    On the airlines’ fleet and route expansion plans, Obi said ‘’our decisions are strategic and is very difficult to forecast in this part of the world, but I can confirm to you that we have commenced talks with some notable aircraft manufacturers and we should increase our fleet in no distant time.  Even with our current capacity, we are doing very well and have a strategy to meet the demands of the flying public.’’

    Obi said :” We are very confident of our model as presently we are the only Nigerian carrier to have undergone an operational audit conducted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and its foreign partners, The Flight Safety Group. We also scaled the IATA Operational Safety Audit IOSA and we wish to assure our guests that we are not resting on our oars as commitment to professionalism is unwavering’’

    Also speaking at the event, IATA’s Area Manager, South-West, Dr Samson Fatokun, said not all airlines are members of IATA as a result of its stringent admission process but commended Dana Air for making the list and joining over 300 airlines presently on the association’s registry.

    “We have requirements for any airline that wants to join the  to the IATA family  and one of that requirement is that they must pass the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and this has kept most of them back.  IATA comes with a requirement of quality and people expect the airline to operate with recommended standards of aviation globally. We commend Dana Air for this feat and hope that they will keep up the good work’’

  • SAHCOL takes over Allied Air

    The Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL) has taken over the ground handling services of Allied Air and United Parcel Service (UPS).

    The spokesman of SAHCOL, Basil Agboarumi, disclosed this in a statement.

    According to him, with the take- over, the firm has added the two companies to its list  of clientele.

    Part of the take-over component, the statement added, include the relocation of Allied Air operations to SAHCOL, as its official Ground Handling partner to the airline’s Ramp and Cargo operations across Nigeria.

    Allied Air, which began: operation in 1998 as a Nigerian national flag Cargo Airline carrier, is designated on numerous routes across Africa under the Bi-lateral Services agreement and is the first IOSA certified Cargo Airline in Nigeria.

    In a related development,  United Parcel Services (UPS) has moved its cargo warehousing services to SAHCOL, consequently making it the hub of UPS consignment warehousing.

     

     

  • NAMA calls for training of pilots

    The Managing Director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Captain Fola Akinkuotu,  has called for training of Nigerian pilots on the technologies adopted for airspace management in the country .

    According to Akinkuotu, without sufficient training of pilots on new air navigation technology, the huge investment on spaced based technology such as Performance Based Navigation would not achieve the desired results.

    Speaking at the Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ASRTI) last week in Lagos, he said the airspace agency would continue to invest in modern air navigation technology in line with global operational standards.

    He said the agency was getting worried that many domestic carriers were yet to train their pilots on performance based navigation systems despite the huge commitment of funds into the project.

    Akinkuotu said there was need for a match between provision of modern air navigation equipment and user capability.

    He said the airspace agency had been grappling with epileptic power supply at airports nationwide, which has forced NAMA to spend millions of Naira on diesel for generators as secondary source of power.

    Besides epileptic power supply, Akinkuotu identified porous airports without perimeter fences as part of the challenges affecting aviation infrastructure.

    Also speaking, former Rector, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Captain Samuel Caulcrick,  canvassed the setting up of an Aviation Development Commission to coordinate gaps in the sector.

    Such body, Caulcrick said, would serve as an intervention agency to drive the development of the sector.

    He said such a body would be useful in addressing formulation of policies that will drive the growth of the industry.

    Chairman of the event, Mr Nick Fadugba, canvassed the setting up of a task force to correct anomalies in the sector .

    In his presentation, former Director-General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, said the sector could move forward if government creates an enabling environment to attract private capital for infrastructure development.

    To attract private investment, he said there was need for transparency and good corporate governance as well as fidelity to contractual agreements.

    Demuren said government should invest in airside airport infrastructure.

    Meanwhile, NAMA has put in place a mechanism to look into the lingering issue of harmonising the salaries and allowances of staff under its payroll with those of their colleagues in other agencies in the aviation sector. The Managing Director, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, who revealed this in a town hall meeting which held at the agency’s headquarters annex in Lagos, said although the issue of harmonisation is as old as the agency itself, there was the need to revisit it as a resolution would boost staff morale and also increase productivity in the long run.

    As a first bold step towards achieving harmonisation, Akinkuotu said management had constituted a committee headed by the Director of

    Safety Electronics and Engineering Services, Engr. Farouk Umar with “the mandate to look in-depth at the circumstance of harmonisation, cost of harmonisation, our ability to achieve harmonisation, the validity of whether we have been harmonised or not, and then make a report and present to management.”

    He disclosed that the committee had already submitted the said report, assuring that management would immediately convene a meeting to “review the report in its totality and examine whether or not there is a disparity. We will also discuss if we can pay for it and if not, how do we move this forward.”

    He said, however, that after considering the report, another report will be prepared and presented to government for ratification.

    Akinkuotu expressed optimism that even though the harmonisation issue has lingered for over 14 years, management was determined to tackle it headlong, stressing that “if we plug all the loopholes and cut down on some of the waste and be more prudent in our expenditure, we will make a little more money and it really shouldn’t be that difficult attaining harmonization.”

    The NAMA chief who urged workers tasked to be more dedicated to their duties, noted that in line with the staff-oriented disposition of his administration, various promotions have been obtained across board.

     

     

  • Air Peace advises engineers

    Air Peace has urged the Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers (NISE) to focus on developing the right skills to put Nigerian engineers fully in charge of engineering services in the aviation sector.

    The airline gave the charge in Lagos during the 2017 Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers where it was honoured with an award in recognition of its “promotion and support for the practice of engineering safety in Nigeria.”

    Air Peace regretted the dearth of modern engineering manpower in the Nigerian aviation sector, insisting that airlines were compelled by the development to resort to expatriates for most of their maintenance and other engineering operations.

    Speaking at the conference tagged: Assuring Public Safety in Nigeria: The Roles of Safety Engineers, Air Peace Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Allen Onyema, assured that the carrier was uncompromising in its approach to matters of safety.

    Onyema, who was represented by the Corporate Communications Manager of Air Peace, Mr. Chris Iwarah, assured that he was anxious to see the end of the current trend where domestic airlines relied on expatriates for their major engineering operations.

    He, however, insisted that Nigerian engineers must first deepen their capacity for handling aircraft maintenance before airlines would be comfortable to fully put them in charge of catering to their engineering needs.

    Air Peace, Onyema said, was spending billions of foreign exchange on maintenance of its aircraft overseas in line with its high safety standards. The availability of a corps of technically empowered  Nigerian engineers, he said, would help the airline realise its vision of employing local talents and growing the nation’s economy.

     

  • DANA flies 2.7 million passengers in nine years

    DANA flies 2.7 million passengers in nine years

    DANA Air has flown over 2.7 million passengers  in the past nine years, its Chief Operating Officer/Accountable Manager, Obi Mbanuzuo, has said.

    He disclosed this while reviewing the operations of the airline since inception in 2008.

    The airline said it has grappled with a myriad of operational challenges in the last nine years in its bid to contribute to the growth of air transport in Nigeria.

    Speaking in an interview in Lagos, Mbanuzuo called on government to improve airport facilities and consolidate on the ease of doing business, which he said had improved passengers’ travel experience.

    He said DANA Air would continue to take steps to improve industry growth through the recruitment and training of indigenous pilots. Mbanuzuo said: “Our commitment to supporting our own, while still encouraging professionalism and growth in the Nigerian aviation industry, has led to our recruitment and constant training of Nigerian pilots. We are proud of our contribution to the industry and we thank the regulators for being supportive of our efforts in this regard.

    “We also took our safety standards a notch higher with our membership of the International Air Transport Association and as it affects statistics from the regulators and considering the number of flights we operate daily, we have not disappointed our guests. Our goal isn’t to improve on what has been achieved, but to totally reimagine it.

    “In terms of customer satisfaction, we have raised the bar of our customer service with our newly introduced unit – The Special Service Unit, made up of highly trained staff to attend to urgent needs of our guests on ground in Lagos, Abuja and Uyo airports. And for our digital guests who love to avoid the queues, our self check-in kioks at MMA2, the first of its kind at the terminal is serving their purpose.

    “We are also taking our guests the ‘cashless way’ with our ‘pay with Dana Miles’ initiative and we have created multiple channels for our guests to be able to reach and interact with us daily.”

    On expansion plans, he said DANA Air after a rigorous audit was selected for an airline partnership with the Imo State Government to provide jobs for the people of the state, boost commercial activities and diversify the economy of the state.

    He said: “Only our commitment towards maintaining our operational efficiency could have given us the edge for such partnership and we have commenced strategic plans to cover even more eastern routes, while strengthening and providing options in our expansion drive to other parts of the country.

    “This is also part of the desire of the Imo State Government, to open the Eastern part of Nigeria; to further business opportunities, connectivity and maintain its position as the commercial hub of Nigeria.

    “We once again thank our guests for finding us worthy of nomination for our numerous Airline of the Year awards, our unveiling as one of Nigeria’s 100 most respected companies, one of Nigeria’s top 50 brands for the second time consecutively and 4th consecutive Best Customer Service airline at the Nigerian Customer Service Awards.

    “We avail this opportunity to  wish ourselves many more years in the aviation industry and our desire is to see an aviation industry devoid of the multiple issues that airlines have to grapple with, and improved airport facilities.

    “We commend the efforts President Muhmmadu Buhari led administration, the Minister of Aviation, Captain Hadi Sirika, and the regulators for their commitment towards the ease of doing business and we hope that these efforts are sustained.

    “We also thank our guests for their patronage, support and loyalty. We shall be giving out 900 free return tickets, upgrade to Gold membership for our Dana Miles Silver members and loads of surprise packages to our guests for being wonderful as well.

    “Our vision is to be recognized and respected as Nigeria’s most reliable and customer-friendly airline, and our mission is to earn the loyalty and respect of our customers by consistently demonstrating our commitment to service, and providing affordable regional air transport services that focus on innovation, quality and service excellence.”

    He said: “Since commencing flight operations on November 10, 2008, we are proud to have come this far, creating an exemplary model and setting the standards for a sustainable and efficient airline operation in Nigeria.

     

     

     

    “We are also proud to have flown over 2.7 million passengers in the last  nine years of our operation and the fact that our on-time performance, world-class in-flight service and customer-centric innovations are still unrivaled.

    “This is testament to our obvious passion to keep flying high and offering the best of air transport in the industry.”

     

  • DANA Air flies 2.7 million passengers in nine years

    DANA Air flies 2.7 million passengers in nine years

    DANA Air has flown over 2.7 million passengers in the past nine years, its Chief Operating Officer/Accountable Manager, Obi Mbanuzuo has said.

    He disclosed while reviewing the operations of the airline since inception in 2008.

    The airline said it has grappled with the myriad of operational challenges in the last nine years in its bid to contribute to the growth of air transport in Nigeria.

    Speaking in an interview in Lagos, Mbanuzuo called on the government to improve airport facilities and consolidate on the ease of doing business, which he said has improved passengers’ travel experience.

    He said DANA Air will continue to take steps to improve industry growth through the recruitment and training of indigenous pilots.

    Mbanuzuo said: “Our commitment to supporting our ‘own’ while still encouraging professionalism and growth in the Nigerian aviation industry, has led to our recruitment and constant training of Nigerian pilots. We are proud of our contribution to the industry and we thank the regulators for being supportive of our efforts in this regard.

    “We also took our safety standards a notch higher with our membership of the International Air Transport Association and as it affects statistics from the regulators and considering the number of flights we operate daily, we have not disappointed our guests. Our goal isn’t to improve on what has been achieved but to totally reimagine it.

    “In terms of customer satisfaction, we have raised the bar of our customer service with our newly introduced unit – The Special Service Unit, made up of highly trained staff to attend to urgent needs of our guests on ground Lagos, Abuja and Uyo airports. And for our digital guests who love to avoid the queues, our self-check-in kiosks at MMA2, the first of its kind at the terminal is serving their purpose.

    “We are also taking our guests the ‘cashless way’ with our ‘pay with Dana Miles’ initiative and we have created multiple channels for our guests to be able to reach and interact with us daily.”

    On expansion plans, he said DANA Air after a rigorous audit was selected for an airline partnership with the Imo state government to provide jobs for the people of the state, boost commercial activities and diversifies the economy of the state.

    He said: “Only our commitment towards maintaining our operational efficiency could have given us the edge for such partnership and we have commenced strategic plans to cover even more eastern routes while strengthening and providing options in our expansion drive to other parts of the country.

    “This is also part of the desire of the Imo State Government, to open the Eastern part of Nigeria; to further business opportunities, connectivity and maintain its position as the commercial hub of Nigeria.

    “We once again thank our guests for finding us worthy of nomination for our numerous Airline of the Year awards, our unveiling as one of Nigeria’s 100 most respected companies, one of Nigeria’s top 50 brands for the second time consecutively and 4th consecutive Best Customer Service airline at the Nigerian Customer Service Awards.

    “We avail this opportunity to wish ourselves many more years in the aviation industry and our desire is to see an aviation industry devoid of the multiple issues that airlines have to grapple with, and improved airport facilities.

    “We commend the efforts President Muhammadu Buhari led administration, the Minister of Aviation, Captain Hadi Sirika, and the regulators for their commitment towards the ease of doing business and we hope that these efforts are sustained.

    “We also thank our guests for their patronage, support and loyalty. We shall be giving out 900 free return tickets, upgrade to Gold membership for our Dana Miles Silver members and loads of surprise packages to our guests for being wonderful as well.

    “Our vision is to be recognized and respected as Nigeria’s most reliable and customer-friendly airline, and our mission is to earn the loyalty and respect of our customers by consistently demonstrating our commitment to service, and providing affordable regional air transport services that focus on innovation, quality and service excellence.”

    He said: “Since commencing flight operations on November 10, 2008, we are proud to have come this far, creating an exemplary model and setting the standards for a sustainable and efficient airline operation in Nigeria.

    “We are also proud to have flown over 2.7 million passengers in the last nine years of our operation and the fact that our on-time performance, world-class in-flight service and customer-centric innovations are still unrivalled.
    “This is a testament to our obvious passion to keep flying high and offering the best of air transport in the industry.”

  • Seymour Aviation promises quality services at Lagos airport

    Seymour Aviation Limited has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional services to its teeming customers across Nigeria.

    With the completion of a multi-storey car park with a capacity for 1,300 cars at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, the company, in a statement from its Managing Director, Francis Ikenga, has promised to explore Public Private Partnership (PPP) opportunities as part of its efforts at reducing  infrastructure deficit in Nigeria’s aviation industry.

    Ikenga said the firm was well positioned to exceed travelers’ expectations.

    Equipped with a sophisticated billing system programmed to provide users with the exact amount for time spent at the parking lot, Ikenga noted that the facility will eliminate long queues, reduce traffic, speed up passenger and vehicular movements at the landside of the airport terminal.

    He described the facility as not only a milestone, but a source of national pride. Built in line with global standards, Ikenga pointed out that the multi-level car park is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras mounted on every floor and around the premisesas well as adequate conveniences for both male and female users on every floor of the complex.

    To ensure uninterrupted power supply, the facility, according to Ikenga, is equipped with a standby generator that can provide power for 24 hours.

    He said passengers will enjoy protection from the effects of weather elements as they disembark from their vehicles within the facility and move into the terminal.

    Other innovative facilities at the car park include: ablution areas provided at the ground floor, executive waiting lounge, public address system to be linked with flight arrival/departure information from the airport, bomb detector, and commercial spaces to cater to the needs of users, amongst others.

    The multi-level car park, Ikenga explained, was conceived primarily to support Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria’s (FAAN) objective of making MMIA a hub for the West African aviation industry and destination of choice to airport service providers and users.

    “This does not in any way undermine the income potential, which was the key driver for this project by Seymour Group,” he added.

    Seymour Managing Director expressed his unreserved gratitude to Fidelity Bank Plc for financing the project, adding that the Bank has remained unfaltering in its efforts to strengthen the nation’s economy.

    Speaking at the inuaguration of the multi-level car park, FAAN’s Managing Director, Saleh Dunoma, said the facility, which had a 30-year tenor, would solve the problem of indiscriminate parking within and around the airport.

    He said: “I wish to state that this facility is long overdue and equally timely as it will improve passengers’ facilitation and reduce the menace of indiscriminate parking within and around the airport.

    Dunoma, who was represented by Salisu Daura, said, “This project is one of the numerous partnerships FAAN has, and is still exploring to improve the infrastructure development at our airports.

  • Inadequate water, power may hamper use of Abuja Airport terminal 

    THERE is concern about the workability of the Abuja Airport Terminal when completed next year as inadequate water and power supply may hamper its use. The National Assembly Joint Committee on Aviation  disclosed that the $200 million terminal being constructed by Chinese  Civil Engineering Construction (CCECC) is eighty per cent completed.  The project’s completion has been fixed for February 2018.

    The water and power supply levels in the old terminal cannot match the required capacity for equipment being put in the new terminal, and upgrading their capacity is outside the scope of the contract being handled by the Chinese construction giant.

    The NASS Joint Committee, which embarked on a tour of the facility last week, expressed satisfaction with the level of work done by the contractor, urging the firm to ensure that everything required is fixed before the facility  is put to use.

    However, the Project Manager, Kelvin Lee, warned that unless there is an upgrade of existing  power and water supply, the inuaguration of the terminal may not be on the agreed date because without adequate water and power supply, the facility would not be functional.

    Lee said it would be of no value to complete a terminal of  such magnitude without requisite power and water supply.

    He urged the government to facilitate funding to accelerate the provision of support equipment that would enable the company deliver the terminal on schedule.

    Lee said whle his firm is working to complete the terminal on agreed date, it will require government to relocate the control tower and fire station, which currently pose an obstacle to some sections of the new terminal.

    Speaking in an interview after the tour, Aliero said the committee was working with the Ministry of Aviation on ways to secure funds to ensure that the terminal is delivered with all equipment in place.

    Aliero said there is no going back on the construction of a second runway for Abuja Airport because of  increasing passenger traffic and capacity for the airport.

    The Abuja airport, according to him, is the only one among the major airports without a second runway. He added that the National Assembly has already made provision for the second runway for Abuja in next year’s budget.

    What is left, he said, is for the Ministry of Aviation to make arrangement for the procurement and award for the contract.

    Aliero said:”The Ministry of Aviation is already aware of the power and water challenge and I think they are doing something about it. And once they bring it to the notice of the legislature, we will do the needful and give necessary support because we need this terminal to be put to use immediately after completion.

    “There is no point having a terminal without water and electricity to enable it function properly. The existing power and water supply is not adequate to accommodate the terminal without expansion or upgrade.”

    On the completion of the terminal, Aliero said:”The terminal would be completed and commissioned before the end of next year. It is already eighty per cent completed. What is left to be done is just the finishing and the equipment are already on ground. The project manager said the control tower and fire station need to be relocated. If the fire station and control tower are relocated, may be we would commission the facility earlier than the end of next year.

    ”On the runway of the airport, Aliero said:” We are going to have a second runway because of capacity. We reached this conclusion from the things we have seen. Abuja is the only major city in Nigeria that has no second runway.

    “Lagos, Kaduna, Kano and Port Harcourt all have second runway. Abuja being the Federal Capital Territory deserves a second runway with the attendant passenger inflow and number of flights coming into the airport.

    “We do not need a situation where we have to wait to move to Kaduna again with the horrendous experience before building a second runway.

    “ This is why the National Assembly has approved the construction of second runway for Abuja and luckily the Ministry is working to ensure that the procurement and award of contract is done before the end of this year and if it is awarded there would be enough funding for next year,”he said.

    Part of the sections of Abuja Airport toured by the National Assembly joint committee included Wing D of the terminal, the resurfaced runway, the new Chinese International Terminal, the flight decoding laboratory of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the proposed headquarters of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

  • Air Peace gets IATA membership

    Air Peace gets IATA membership

    Air Peace Airlines has  received membership certificate of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

    The membership of the global  body will enable the airline sign codeshare and interline agreements with other global carriers.

    The IATA membership for Air Peace comes a few months after it scaled the International Operations Safety Audit (IOSA), organised by IATA.

    Speaking at the corporate headquarters of the airline at  Ikeja, GRA, IATA’s West African regional manager, Dr  Samson Fatokun, said with admission of the airline into the global league, Air Peace can now participate in multi-lateral and bilateral agreements on international operations.

    He said the airline can now benefit from training  programmes organised by the  global body, which include participation in the Billing Settlement Plan( BSP) as well as other safety endorsements.

    Fatokun said Air Peace has worked assidiously to be listed  among over 300 airlines across the globe and  granted IATA membership.

    Speaking after receiving the certificate from IATA, Air Peace Chairman, Allen Onyema, descibed the airline’s admission into the global legue as a challenge that would spur it to do more.

    Onyema said the IATA membership would enable Air Peace consolidate its plans to fly into nine West African  countries to be unveiled soon.

    The airline, he said,  has secured codeshare and interline agreements with two legacy carriers to consolidate its plans to launch international flights next year.

    Onyema said: “This IATA membership is a challenge for us. Air Peace will continue with the membership and will never shortchange safety. In the last three years, we have become a household name. “

    He disclosed that by middle of next month, the airline will deliver a new set of 11 aircraft that will be injected into the domestic operation and proposed international destinations.

    Mr. Onyema said Air Peace will fly into every continent of the world as plans are underway to increase the fleet to 48 aircraft from its present 24 and called on the global body to continue to create the enabling environment for airlines to compete, especially young airlines like Air Peace.

    Applauding the Federal Government, he said: “I thank the government of President Muhammadu Buhari for giving us six destinations. And I will not disappoint them. With the IATA membership, most reputable airlines will be willing to partner us. We will represent creditably wherever we will fly into.”

    While disclosing that plans are at advance stage to commence codeshare operations with two renowned carrier, he said its application to commence operations into Ghanzou in China, Dubai, Houston in Texas, London, India and others are receiving attention from the  countries’ authorities.

    Mr. Onyema also disclosed that following government’s intervention countries like Cameroun, Senegal, Liberia, Togo, Ivory Coast, which hitherto had refused to allow it operate into their countries, have written them to begin the processes of flying into their aerodrome.

    “Air Peace has been permitted to fly into Cameroun after two and half years, same for Sierra Leone, Liberia, though they gave us 60 days, Togo, the first country that stopped us wrote a letter of apology and has given us the permit. The same with Côte d’Ivoire. The other areas we are facing some challenges are charges and our government is looking into it,”he said.