‘We’re being deliberately frustrated’ – Air Peace Chairman raises alarm over price slash

The Chairman of Nigerian Air Peace, Allen Onyema, has raised the alarm over an alleged conspiracy among foreign carriers operating the Nigeria-UK route to introduce lower airfares.

During an interview on ChannelsTV’s Politics Today program, Onyema voiced concern over an “unspoken alliance” among foreign airlines, alleging an ongoing yet deliberate lower-priced airfare strategy.

He faulted the move as a means to push Air Peace out of International flight operations, especially after AirPeace announced the Nigeria-London (Gatwick) 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,” he said, citing ground-handling and space allocation difficulties at Gatwick Airport in the last couple of days.

Onyema further alleged, “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 $305, and another one $350. Fill up the entire aircraft and carry people on the wings; it’s not enough to buy fuel. So, why are they doing that? Their governments are supporting them because Nigeria has been a cash cow for everybody.

“Their governments support them in doing this and taking Air Peace out. The idea is to take Air Peace out, and the moment they succeed, Nigerians will pay 20 times over again.”

Onyema further invited other Nigerian airlines to join the Nigerian-UK route to break the monopoly enjoyed by foreign airline operators, including the four major gateway airports of Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt.

He further expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and Minister of Aviation Mr Festus Keyamo for their support in navigating the route’s politics as Air Peace commenced a direct flight from Lagos to Gatwick on March 30, 2024.

Meanwhile, after introducing Air Peace to foreign trips, foreign competitors like Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, and Qatar Airways are compelled to reduce their fares to remain competitive in the aviation industry.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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