The Chief Executive Officer, CEO of Air Peace Airlines, Allen Onyema, has narrated how his airlines suffered what he called both internal and external conspiracies.
Onyema disclosed this on Monday while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme.
Onyema said ‘his own country’ denied Air Peace and threw back its application for a Technical Country Operators (TCO) permit, which could have allowed the airlines to start going into any European country.
He lamented that it took the nation’s leading airlines seven years to get the designation to go into London.
“You suffer what I call both internal and external conspiracies. It took us seven years. We got the designation, I think about six and a half years ago to go into London. Since then, it has been a Cat-and-Mouse game.
“We actually procured our three 777s because of this route, not for any other route,… However, we were not allowed to go.
“Whether you like it or not, there is what is called international aero politics which is very dirty. We applied for the TCO. TCO means Technical Country Operators permit, you must get that one before you start going into any European country, UK inclusive.
And the TCO organization from Europe wrote our Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority- Do you know Air Peace? Do you know about their designation? And we were denied.
My own country denied us, so they threw it back.
“We went back to the NCAA, they said, oh, we didn’t tell them. Who designated us, the Federal Ministry of Aviation, whose duty it was and still is to do that.
We said okay, we’re ready. They refused, they said until they allow us to apply. So, we got a designation from the Federal government, and the NCAA, under the same Federal Government, was telling us that we should not make any application towards going into the UK.”
Allen Onyema also said,the airline is ready to take Abuja-London flight and is planning to begin flights to New York and Houston by the end of 2024.
The airline CEO said the company is in the process of purchasing more aircraft for this purpose.
Onyema said Air Peace is prepared to take on more flights, adding that there were seven flights going into Gatwick Airport from Nigeria daily.
He said, “We are doing seven daily flights into Gatwick. Nigeria has a balance of about fourteen to do. We are ready, if the government gives us Abuja-London, I will do it, because we are expecting more aircraft into the country purchased by Air Peace. If we get it, we will do it.
“Like, we are planning to hit New York or Houston towards the end of the year, because we are bringing in more 777s. As I speak to you, my staff, they’re in California, the engineering technical services department; they’re in California inspecting some three 777s we want to acquire, we want to buy. So, if we could get them in the next two or three months, then of course, we are good to go anywhere.”
Onyema suggested that Nigerian airlines need all the necessary support they could get from the Federal Government.
Peoplesmind