The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Air Peace

  • Air Peace  gets international safety certification 

    Air Peace has  secured the International Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

    With the certification, it becomes the seventh Nigerian carrier to secure such safety endorsement from IATA.

    The certification has opened a window for Air Peace to join global players in negotiating and signing codeshare and interline agreements with other world carriers. Though it confers membership of the elite club on the airline, it still has to wait for admission into IATA’s clearing house.

    The certificate was presented to its Chairman, Mr Allen Onyema, last week in Lagos

    Before the presentation, IATA Area Manager for West Africa  Dr. Samson Fatokun lauded Air Peace for its ability to pass all the hurdles, saying the certification would boost the safety confidence of the carrier.

    Fatokun said by the end of the year, all African airlines would be on IOSA registry. This may not, however, be possible without the  support of airlines’ CEOs .

    Onyema thanked the IATA representative for the presentation, adding that this was the first time an airline had achieved such feat within 30 months of its operations.

    The Air Peace boss said: “I thank the passengers; we are happy and I am short of words. We have got what many airlines in Nigeria and Africa could not get. It shows that God is with us.”

    Onyema assured the government  that indigenous operators would get it right.

    With the IOSA certificate, Onyema said he was already making consultations with some foreign airlines for codeshare arrangements.

  • Air Peace trains pilots

    Ahead of its international operations into routes designated for it by the Federal Government, Air Peace has trained four of its pilots on type rating on Boeing 777.

    The pilots, according to the airline’s  spokesman, Chris Iwarah, were trained  at  the Boeing Training Centre in the United Kingdom in the handling of its triple seven aircraft type.

    Iwarah said Air Peace is the first Nigerian carrier to afford its pilots such capacity building in the new aircraft category .

    The carrier’s Chief Pilot, Captain Victor Egonu; Capt. Victor Iwo Brown, Senior First Officer Ahmad Abdullahi and First Officer Emmanuel Iwhiwhu, participated in the training, which was completed last week .

    More pilots, Air Peace said, would soon go for their training in the operation of B777 aircraft.

    The airline, which launched its regional operations with its maiden flight to Accra-Ghana in February this year,  was designated by the Federal Government to fly into Johannesburg, London, Atlanta, Mumbai, Dubai and and Guangzhou in China.

    The airline promised to deploy its B777 aircraft to service its long-haul routes. No Nigerian airline has ever used a B777 aircraft.

  • Air Peace loses N3b to ground incidents

    The Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema said the airline has lost over N3 billion to the ground incident involving three of its aircraft at the Lagos and Benin Airports.

    He said the pulling out of the three aircraft for major repairs has disrupted the operations of the carrier, forcing it to either cancel or reschedule its flights.

    Onyema said airlines do not just cancel flights, but take such decisions due to many factors including, weather, inadequate airport infrastructure and other factors.

    Speaking with reporters in Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday, Onyema said the airline lost three aircraft within 24 hours as a result of the ground incident involving two of its aircraft at the tarmac at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Ikeja and the incident involving the Skyway Aviation Handling Company vehicle at the Benin airport

    According to him, one of the winglets of the aircraft involved in the collision cost about N300 million to fix, adding that the airline was making a loss of 24 flights daily.

  • Pandemonium at Abuja Airport as irate passengers attack Air Peace duty manager

    Pandemonium at Abuja Airport as irate passengers attack Air Peace duty manager

    •We’ll no longer tolerate attacks on our staff, airline warns

    Pandemonium broke out last night at the departure hall of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NNIA), Abuja, when irate passengers attacked the duty manager of Air Peace over cancelation of Abuja-Benin flight.

    The passengers got angry when the airline announced the cancellation of the flight.

    The aggrieved passengers, according to eyewitnesses, vented their anger on the duty manager and the airline’s facilities.

    A source said it took the intervention of some men of the Nigerian Air Force, who were invited, to save the duty manager from being killed.

    Confirming the development, the spokesman of Air Peace, Chris Iwarah, said : “While we were making effort to resolve the challenge with the decision to commence our operations very early on Friday, a truck operated by SAHCOL rammed into another of our aircraft at the Benin Airport and the aircraft was again declared unserviceable.

    “The aircraft involved in the Benin incident was scheduled to do seven sectors, including our Abuja-Benin service.

    “Given the development, we had no choice but to cancel our Abuja-Benin service and asked those who were willing to reschedule for Saturday to do so, while others should be immediately refunded.

    “Some passengers, who were to fly with us from Abuja to Benin, however, went violent. They attacked our staff in Abuja and almost killed our duty manager.

    “It took the intervention of Air Force personnel, who were reportedly called in by the airport authorities, to rescue our duty manager from the mob.

    “But that did not prevent the passengers from destroying our facilities. The menacing passengers also prevented others from boarding their own flights, thereby complicating the situation.”

    Meanwhile, Air Peace has condemned the attacks on its staff by some unruly passengers in Abuja, Lagos, Calabar and other parts of the country, warning that it would no longer condone members of the public endangering the lives of its workers.

    A statement issued by the Corporate Communications Manager of Air Peace, Mr. Chris Iwarah, regretted that security agents had failed to halt the trend of members of the public invading airport facilities to attack airline workers.

    The airline said: “On Thursday, April 20, 2017, the winglet of one of our aircraft, which was being towed within the very limited space at the ramp of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos to position for departure, had a partial contact with the stabiliser of another of our aircraft.

    “We subsequently declared the two aircraft unserviceable in line with our high safety standards.

    “We were, therefore, compelled to adjust our schedules to close the gaps created by the two aircraft, which were scheduled to do 14 sectors.

    “While we were trying to salvage the situation, some unruly passengers took the law into their own hands, preventing passengers from boarding and making it impossible for our aircraft to fly.

    “In Abuja, a former number three citizen of this country, whose flight returned to Abuja when it could not land in Enugu due to the closure of the airport at 7 p.m., refused to disembark and incited others to join him in his lawless action.

    “The aircraft was eventually detained overnight in Abuja.

    “The action of the former federal lawmaker and other unruly passengers in our different stations worsened the already difficult schedule we were making effort to save.

    “Some flights we were prepared to operate despite the challenge we were facing were eventually cancelled.

    “In Lagos, some other passengers attacked and almost killed our station manager.

    “Also in Calabar, unruly passengers had an unchallenged day, preventing our aircraft from flying.

    “On Sunday, April 16 our staff were also attacked at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.

    “It is surprising all these attacks could take place at the nation’s airports, a high security environment, without any challenge whatsoever from security agents.

    “The situation has, therefore, left us with no choice but to resort to our right to self-defence to prevent our staff from being killed.

    “We can no longer tolerate unruly passengers maiming our staff simply because we have chosen to provide service in a very challenging environment.

  • Air Peace resumes Abuja flights Wednesday

    Air Peace resumes Abuja flights Wednesday

    Air Peace airlines says it will resume flight operations at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Wednesday.

    The announcement by the airline in a statement by its Corporate Communications Manager, Mr Chris Iwarah, on Monday in Lagos followed the completion of rehabilitation of the Abuja airport’s runway.

    It commended travellers for keeping faith with it and by making a huge sacrifice to ensure that the repair of the bad portions of the runway of the airport was done.

    Air Peace also praised the Federal Government and the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, for ensuring speedy completion of the repairs of the facility.

    “We are pleased to announce resumption of all our flights into and out of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, with effect from April 19.

    “The Federal Government shut the facility to traffic on March 8 to enable a six-week repair of its runway and diverted all Abuja-bound flights to the Kaduna International Airport.

    “We considered the decision of the Federal Government to shut down the airport for quick repair of its runway in tandem with the high safety standards of our flight operations.

    “At Air Peace, the safety of our esteemed guests is our first rule of business. We do not compromise on that for any reason.

    “Although the decision to shut the facility to traffic came with huge costs, for us, nothing compares with safety.

    “We are also aware that our numerous guests and the entire travelling public had to make a lot of sacrifice to enable the repair of the runway possible and wish to commend them for their understanding and cooperation,” it said.

    It added that the repair of the runway “has further intensified our enthusiasm to deliver the best flight experience to our valued guests in a very safe atmosphere.

    “Our Abuja schedules are alive once again and we promise to give the best of air travel services as we resume our flight operations in the Federal Capital Territory.”

  • Air Peace resumes Abuja flights, commends FG

    Air Peace resumes Abuja flights, commends FG

    Air Peace has announced the resumption of all its flights into and out of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja starting from Wednesday, April 19, 2017.

    A statement issued by the carrier’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah on Monday commended air travellers for keeping faith with the airline and making a huge sacrifice to ensure repair of the bad portions of the runway of the Abuja airport.

    The airline also praised the Federal Government and the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika for ensuring speedy completion of the repair work on the runway of the facility.

    “We are pleased to announce resumption of all our flights into and out of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport with effect from Wednesday, April 19, 2017.

    “The Federal Government shut the facility to traffic on March 8 to enable a six-week repair of its runway and diverted all Abuja-bound flights to the Kaduna International Airport.

    “We considered the decision of the Federal Government to shut down the airport for quick repair of its runway in tandem with the high safety standards of our flight operations. At Air Peace, the safety our esteemed guests is our first rule of business. We do not compromise on that for any reason.

    “Although the decision to shut the facility to traffic came with huge costs, for us, nothing compares with safety. We are also aware that our numerous guests and the entire travelling public had to make a lot of sacrifice to enable the repair of the runway possible and wish to commend them for their understanding and cooperation.

    “We also wish to express our sincere gratitude to the Federal Government, the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika and the contractors for delivering on their promise to ensure completion of the repairs within schedule. The repair of the runway has further intensified our enthusiasm to deliver the best flight experience to our valued guests in a very safe atmosphere. Our Abuja schedules are live once again and we promise to give the best of air travel services as we resume our flight operations in the Federal Capital Territory,” Air Peace said.

     

     

  • Air Peace, DANA Air, others fly into Kaduna

    Kaduna International Airport was agog yesterday as five domestic carriers, Air Peace, DANA Air, Aero, Arik Air and Medview Airlines operated flights from Lagos.

    The carriers operated their scheduled flights on the route following the closure of Abuja Airport.

    Amid tight security, scores of passengers expressed excitement over the use of Kaduna Airport for flights.

    As early as 8.00 am, flights from Lagos started landing at airport.

    Apart from these carriers, ground handling firm, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCo), aviation fuel suppliers, Conoil, So Aviation, and other ancillary services providers were also on ground to facilitate smooth flight operations.

    Apart from scheduled carriers, charter operators were also at the airport to facilitate smooth operations.

    Airport security, aerodrome safety and fire fighters were also on hand.

    It was gathered that government has secured agreement with a private transport firm, Chisco Limited with security escort patrol vehicles to convey passengers between Kaduna and Abuja as well as between Abuja and Kaduna.

  • Air Peace connects Sokoto

    Governor of Sokoto State Aminu Tambuwal has endorsed Air Peace’s Lagos-Abuja-Sokoto flight.

    He spoke last week  during the inaugural Lagos-Abuja-Sokoto flight.

    Tambuwal, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Bashir Garba, said Air Peace had become one of the serious  airlines in the country with its dependable services .

    He said the state government invited Air Peace to add Sokoto to its route network after checks on the airline.

    He said air travellers in Sokoto were not happy with the experiences they with other airlines, hence, the government invited Air Peace.

    He assured the airline that the government would provide it with necessary support, saying: “We will do everything possible to make sure that you would not regret extending your services to Sokoto State”.

    He added:”The airline has sufficient and reliable aircraft in their fleet. So we decided to reach out to the management and they answered positively to our call. We had an extensive discussion on how to make their services profitable for the benefit of the people of Sokoto State.

    “We want to assure you that we will do everything possible as the government to ensure that you do not have any regret extending your services to the state.”

    Chairman of Air Peace Allen Onyema said the invitation by Sokoto State government coincided with the airline’s plan “to embark on a massive expansion project to connect different cities in Nigeria, Africa and other international destinations.”

    Onyema, who was represented by the Quality and Safety Manager, Patrick Achurefe, said the airline recognised Sokoto as “a very strategic economic and social capital in the North and Nigeria as a whole,” adding the airline was keen to partner the state and people of Sokoto to address the challenges of air travel in the area.

    He said the Sokoto flight was  a new dawn for travellers on the route, addin: “Prepare yourself for an exciting flight experience. We have come to Sokoto to inaugurate on-time departure, uncompromising premium on the safety and comfort of air travellers and affordable flight services”

  • Air Peace inaugurates Sokoto route March 1

    Air Peace inaugurates Sokoto route March 1

    Air Peace one of Nigeria’s domestic airlines, is to start flight operations from Lagos to Abuja/Sokoto on March 1.

    Mr Chris Isaiah, its Corporate Communications Manager, announced this in a statement on Friday in Lagos.

    Isaiah said that the inauguration of the route was coming days after the airline took delivery of its 12th aircraft, a 114-capacity Boeing 737-500.

    The airline official said the new route was the airline’s response to the yearnings of the people of Sokoto State and other parts of the North to extend its exceptional flight services to the area.

    “We are pleased to announce the commencement of our flight operations from Lagos to Abuja into Sokoto starting Wednesday, March 1.

    “Sokoto is a strategic social, economic and religious centre reputed for its unbroken record of peaceful coexistence in the North.

    “We are indeed happy to lead the new effort for seamless connection between the state and other parts of Nigeria.

    “Our entry into the Sokoto route is a timely response to the yearnings of the government, good people of the state and the entire North to bring our spectacular flight services closer to them.

    “Towards the end of 2016, we promised to connect Nigeria, Africa and other parts of the world,’’ he said.

    Isaiah said that Sokoto State would be the fifth new route the carrier would be inaugurating in six months in line with its huge expansion plan.

    “The airline entered the Lagos-Benin-Lagos and the Abuja-Benin-Abuja routes in September 2016.

    “Air Peace also started its Lagos-Uyo-Lagos flight operations in December 2016.

    “On Feb. 16, the airline made its first regional flight to Accra, Ghana.

    “We have been delivering on our promise consistently since. Our massive expansion effort since the last quarter of 2016 has established us as the airline of choice on the Lagos-Benin-Lagos,’’he said.

    Isaiah said the airline had decided to spread its wings of peace to Sokoto before launching out to more regional and international destinations.

    “These routes include Abidjan, Douala, Niamey, Dakar, Johannesburg, South Africa, Dubai, Mumbai, Guangzhou-China, Atlanta and London.

    “We are not just embarking on opening new routes, we are also acquiring more aircraft and setting up more offices,’’ the airline official said.

  • Air Peace, Yudala, others emerge top trending Nigerian brands on Google

    Air Peace, Yudala, others emerge top trending Nigerian brands on Google

    Despite the attention given to the general elections and new cabinet last year, some local brands were able to break through the mental ceiling and retain the interest of Nigerians. Their reward was to keep trending.

    Google has captured a list of the top ten trending Nigerian brands of 2015, highlighting the brands that had the highest spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2015 as compared to 2014. The list begins with a huge surprise.

    Flying high on the line-up is the new kid on the runways of Nigeria’s airports, Air Peace. Led by Allen Onyema, the airline made its debut in 2013. Perhaps speculation about a possible connection between Air Peace and the wife of the former President of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan set the search engines revving and kept the airline on the minds of controversy-loving Nigerians.

    Composite online and offline retail chain, Yudala, sits pretty in second place. Following its well-publicised launch in August, Yudala made waves in the marketplace with its promise to deliver purchases via drones. Reports of its first successful drone-powered drop off in November kept Nigerians talking for the rest of the year.

    Free online classifieds site, jiji.com, takes the next spot, ahead of online retail site, Payporte, online classifieds site,  efritin.com and online shopping site Kaymu. Remarkably, global market leader in the online classifieds space, OLX, did not make the list of top trending brands in Nigeria. neither did Konga.

    Dubai-based mobile device start-up, Injoo made the list at number 8, riding on the success of its ‘reasonably priced’ smartphones and tablets. Injoo leads regional and International carrier Medview Airline and local telecomms operator, Smile Communications in the trend stakes.