A Nigerian carrier, Air Peace, has expanded its international operations by officially commencing direct flight services between the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and London Heathrow, United Kingdom.
The inaugural flight took off in Abuja on Sunday, marking the second direct London route for the carrier after Air Peace commenced its Lagos–London flight services in March 2024.
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Allen Onyema, chief executive officer (CEO) of the airline, lauded the government’s support, saying that this success is a direct result of the government listening to the yearnings and aspirations of the people.
“When Nigerian helicopter airline owners cried to the honourable minister of a certain charge, he removed it on the spot, in order to make life very simple for these airlines,” Onyema said.
“It is not just about Air Peace. Unless every airline in this country speaks up for what this regime has done for them, don’t keep quiet. It’s not only when the not so good things are done, that we all shout.
“When a government is doing that which is right, let us have one of our comrades there. And let any airline who says it has not benefited from the regime of Festus Keyamo and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, let the person stand up. Let the person show up tomorrow.
“Never, not even once. I am a leader of the airline, and I can tell you better. So, today what we are celebrating is absolute patriotism, absolute love for one’s country.”
Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, affirmed that President Bola Tinubu’s clear mandate is to fully support local operators to ensure their businesses thrive and survive.
Keyamo said the ministry went to work with that directive, digging deep to find out what the problems of the local operators had been over the years.
“I’m sure you know that in the last 40 years or so, the mortality rate of the aviation sector has been very high. More than 100 airlines have come and gone,” he said.
The minister said that a healthy economy relies on a strong private sector, which provides the most jobs, and highlighted his ministry’s efforts to strengthen local operators to give them fair competitive leverage.
“The private and international airlines have been coming and going from Nigeria in the last 90 years,” Keyamo said.
“One of the major airlines on this route will be celebrating 90 years on this route in the next one month. So you can see the length of time that they have fared on the Nigerian economy.”
He said foreign carriers from almost all European capitals fly into Nigeria daily, lifting passengers without corresponding local operators reciprocating on those routes, despite Nigeria possessing the appropriate rights under existing bilateral air services agreements (BASA).
Keyamo added that the first priority of his ministry, therefore, was to ramp up the capacity of Nigeria’s local airlines, enabling them to fully utilise the reciprocal rights.
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