He warned that if foreign airlines withdraw Air Peace from the Lagos London route too soon, Nigerians will pay a heavy price as billions of dollars will be lost and the naira will be severely stressed.
Chairman of Nigerian airline Air Peace, Allen Onyema, has sounded the alarm that foreign airlines operating the Nigeria UK route are allegedly plotting to exclude Air Peace from international operations by lower airfare prices en route.
There is a “tacit alliance between foreign airlines using lower fares to exclude Air Peace from the Nigeria London route, a disgruntled Onyema claimed on Channels Television’s Politics Today program on Tuesday. If they cancel Air Peace too soon, this country will pay a heavy price for it, tenfold, billions of dollars will be lost and there will be another huge pressure on the naira, he said.
On 30 March 2024, Air Peace responded to the Bilateral Air Services Agreement BASA between Nigeria and the United Kingdom when the local airline commenced direct flights from Lagos to Lagos Gatwick Airport in London.
Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo; and her counterpart at the Ministry of Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka Anita was on the inaugural Lagos London flight along with businessmen and women.
The move has been welcomed by many industry observers, with many local airlines encouraged to launch international flights to profitable routes.
International airfares on the Lagos London route are as high as N3.5 million, but with Air Peace pricing economy return tickets at N1.2 million, foreign airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Qatar Airways have been forced to reduce prices to remain competitive.
“Intentional Exasperation”
The head of Air Peace said foreign airlines operating this route are “fighting back”. We are deliberately disappointed in every aspect,” he said, citing difficulties in ground handling and space allocation at Gatwick Airport over the past two days.
“This is a very evil plot,” Onyema said with displeasure. “Suddenly, foreign airlines priced below cost, it didn’t last a month, one airline announced 100, another announced 305, 350. Fuel for the entire plane and transporting people on the wings, is not even enough to buy your own fuel. So why do they do this? Their government supports them because Nigeria is the source of money for everyone.
Their government supports them in this approach and in withdrawing Air Peace. The idea is to get rid of Air Peace and as soon as they succeed in getting rid of Air Peace, Nigerians will have to pay 20 times more.
Airline boss calls on other Nigerian airlines to join the Nigeria UK route to break the hitherto monopoly of foreign airlines operating at the four main gateway airports of Lagos, Abuja , Kano and Port Harcourt.
“I call on other Nigerian airlines to join the fight, let them come, let us all do international operations. Yes, international aviation policy is dirty but someone has to pay the price, he said.
Onyema has expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and Minister Keyamo for their “strong support” of Air Peace, even as the airline navigates the political aspect of its operations to London.
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