11/04/2024
Devilish conspiracy’ – Air Peace boss, Onyema slams foreign airlines over price slash.
The Chairman of Nigerian indigenous carrier, Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyema, has raised the alarm that foreign carriers operating the Nigeria-UK route are allegedly conspiring to send Air Peace out of international operations by crashing airfares on the route.
Onyema gave the revelation on Tuesday while featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
He alleged that there is an “unspoken alliance” among foreign airlines to use lower pricing to eject Air Peace from the Nigeria-London route.
Should Air Peace be prematurely withdrawn, the consequences would be severe and far-reaching for the country, resulting in substantial financial losses potentially magnified tenfold. Such an action would not only detrimentally impact the economy in the form of billions lost, but also exert immense pressure on the already strained naira.
To provide context, it's worth noting that Air Peace recently balanced the imbalanced Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the United Kingdom by commencing direct flights from Lagos to Gatwick Airport in London on March 30, 2024. This move signifies the airline's commitment to enhancing air connectivity between the two nations.
In a show of support for this milestone, Nigeria's Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, and the Minister of Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anita, both traveled on the inaugural flight from Lagos to London. Accompanied by various entrepreneurs, their participation underscores the significance of this development for fostering closer ties and facilitating business opportunities.
The continuation of Air Peace's operations serves as a vital component of Nigeria's air transport infrastructure, contributing to economic growth, tourism, and overall national development. Any disruption to its services would not only have immediate repercussions but could also impede progress towards achieving broader aviation and economic objectives.
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Daily Post Nigeria
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‘Devilish conspiracy’ – Air Peace boss, Onyema slams foreign airlines over price slash
Published
on
April 10, 2024
By
Francis Ugwu

The Chairman of Nigerian indigenous carrier, Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyema, has raised the alarm that foreign carriers operating the Nigeria-UK route are allegedly conspiring to send Air Peace out of international operations by crashing airfares on the route.
Onyema gave the revelation on Tuesday while featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
He alleged that there is an “unspoken alliance” among foreign airlines to use lower pricing to eject Air Peace from 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, there will be another heavy strain on the naira,” he said.
DAILY POST recalls that Air Peace reciprocated the lopsided Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the United Kingdom when the local airline began direct flight operations from Lagos to Gatwick Airport in London on March 30, 2024.
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo and his counterpart at the Trade and Investment Ministry, Doris Uzoka-Anita were onboard the inaugural Lagos-London flight, alongside businessmen and women.
Many industry observers have applauded the development, saying the development will encourage local airlines to commence international flights to profitable routes.
DAILY POST also reported how the price of international flight ticket on the Lagos-London route, which was as high as N3.5m for economy ticket went for N1.2m as Air Peace commenced the London route, with foreign airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Qatar Airways forced to slash their prices to stay competitive.
However, speaking on Tuesday, the Air Peace boss said foreign airlines operating the route “are fighting back”, adding that his airlines are being “deliberately frustrated in all ways”.
He cited ground handling and space allocation difficulties at Gatwick Airport in the last couple of days.
“It’s a very devilish conspiracy,” said a dissatisfied Onyema.
“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, $350.
Filling the aircraft to maximum capacity and even considering carrying passengers on the wings is insufficient to cover the fuel costs. It raises the question: why are such practices being entertained? The governments involved are providing unwavering support due to the lucrative opportunities presented, with Nigeria being viewed as a significant source of revenue.
The aim of this support is to undermine Air Peace. If successful, the repercussions for Nigerians would be substantial, as they would likely end up paying significantly higher prices—potentially up to 20 times more than the current rates.
Onyema, therefore, invited 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.