Allen Onyema, Chairman of West Africa’s largest carrier, Air Peace, has raised alarm over an “unspoken alliance” among foreign airlines operating the Nigeria-UK route, as part of a conspiracy to allegedly frustrate it out of international operations.
Air Peace commenced direct flight operations from Lagos to Gatwick Airport in London on March 30, 2024.
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While the development has been applauded by many industry observers who viewed it as a positive step forward, speaking on Tuesday, when he was featured on Channels Television Politics Today program, Onyema alleged that foreign airlines are deliberately undercutting airfares on the route as part of a scheme to push Air Peace out of the Nigeria-London route.
“If they take out Air Peace prematurely, this country will pay dearly for it, 10 times over, billions will be lost, and there will be another heavy strain on the naira. We are being deliberately frustrated in all ways.
“It’s a very devilish conspiracy. All of a sudden, (foreign) airlines are underpricing, below the cost, it’s not up to one month, an airline was advertising $100, another one was $305, $350. Fill up the entire aircraft and carry people on the wings, it’s not even enough to buy your fuel. So, why are they doing that? Their governments are supporting them because Nigeria has been a cash-cow for everybody.
“Their governments are supporting them to do this and take Air Peace out. The idea is to take Air Peace out and the moment they succeed in taking Air Peace out, Nigerians will pay 20 times over again”, he said, citing ground handling and space allocation difficulties at Gatwick Airport in the last couple of days.
Onyema therefore urged other Nigerian airlines to join the Nigeria-UK route to break the monopoly hitherto enjoyed by foreign carriers operating into the four major gateway airports of Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt.
“I invite other Nigerian airlines to join the fray, let them come, let all of us do international operations. Yes, international aeropolitics is very dirty, but somebody must pay the price,” he said.
He expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu and Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), for being “solidly behind” Air Peace even as the airline navigates the political side of operating in London.