BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
Parents whose wards are studying in London, United Kingdom can now smile as Air Peace has unveiled special air fares for students as it warms up for its Inaugural flight on March 30.
The offer is considered soothing and timely as many Nigerian parents have had to literally empty their accounts to sustain their children in various UK schools as air fares and tuition cost an arm and a leg.
Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Dr Allen Onyema, made this known on Thursday in Lagos during the airline’s engagement session with travel agents.
Onyema, who unveiled the special package for students, urged the agents to ensure the offer was not abused by passengers, noting that the fares will make it easy and affordable for students to return to Nigeria during holidays and travel back at resumption.
He said that he decided to give this offer to young Nigerians studying in the UK to help them connect with home regularly so that they would not stay permanently overseas and get acculturated.
“Several parents have been disconnected from their children.
Many students have not been home for over two years because their parents cannot afford return fares to London. Parents will no longer suffer to raise money for fares for their children because the student fares will be affordable for all parents.
“My children all schooled abroad and we insisted that they return to Nigeria during their school breaks no matter how short the duration of the holidays were. “This is to enable us to remain connected to our children and ensure they stick to our values and culture. I know this is also the desire of several other parents but this desire has been cut short because of high fares travelling to and from Nigeria, But this narrative will change as soon as Air Peace commences flights to London,” Onyema said.
He explained that the Air Peace London route was borne out of his love for Nigeria and to put an end to high fares from Nigeria to London and back, promising that the airline would give Nigerians the best option in terms of fares.
The travel agents were elated when the Air Peace Chairman promised to offer them commission and assured that the airline would charge competitive and affordable fares on the route.
Checks show that currently, the cheapest economy class return ticket from Nigeria to London cost about N1.6 million and fares in the last two years have risen by over 400 percent as a result of passenger traffic on the route, the depreciating Naira and foreign airlines trapped funds in Nigeria.
The Chairman of Airlines and Passengers’ Joint Committee (APJC) of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Bankole Bernard, told newsmen at the event that Air Peace’s London flight was a welcome idea, especially as Nigeria would now have its own carrier creating balance of trade which is not tilted to one side.
“There will be a bit of balance. Air Peace has been given a daily slot to Gatwick which amounts to seven frequencies, compared to 21 frequencies that the legacy airlines have; 14 in Lagos and seven in Abuja. To an extend, we have something that will balance it up.
“Air Peace is not going to be faced with challenges of foreign exchange because the fares will be in naira. It is a welcome idea for travel agents and Nigeria as a whole. We appeal to Air Peace to try its best to sustain the London route. We are willing to give them all the support to ensure this is successful. With Air Peace, travel agents envisage a 50 percent fare reduction in fares,” Bernard said.
The Chief Operating Officer, Air Peace, Oluwatoyin Olajide during her speech at the event said the London route means a lot to Nigeria because its indigenous airline will be operating to London with affordable fares and good service. She said it is also good for Air Peace for several reasons, major one being that it marks the airline’s historic entry into the European market.
Olajide said the service will be operated with the airline’s Boeing 777 aircraft and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, one of the most modern and efficient aircraft in the skies.
She also noted that the airline will be launching with special promo fares and attractive plans for agents.
“We shall be operating daily and this service will also offer several other benefits which will give Air Peace an edge over the competition. It is a direct flight without stop-overs and offers unbeatable fares. We want you to know that Air Peace’s operational expansion and milestones are driven by our ambition to continually connect cities and ease the burden of air travel while fostering economic prosperity across nations,” she added.
