BY Olapeju Olubi
More accolades have come the way of Air Peace as the flag carrier is being extolled for breaking a decade jinx by returning to the Lagos-London route, thus hoisting Nigeria’s flag in more international destinations.
The latest applause is from Fidelity Bank Plc, which last weekend, celebrated the flag carrier’s dexterity and determination to Nigeria’s flag globally.
The special event, organised by the bank at Civic Center on Sunday, April 21, 2024, was graced by stakeholders in aviation, media personalities and well-wishers of both brands.
In her remarks, the Managing Director, Fidelity Bank, Dr Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, commended Air Peace’s giant strides and financial discipline which it has upheld since inception.
She said: “Air Peace has been very loyal to us. We are grateful to have them as our client and we are celebrating their milestone of launching direct flight service to London and other milestones they will achieve”.
The Chairman, Air Peace, Dr Allen Onyema, who noted that it was not rosy for the airline to attain its current status, expressed gratitude to the flying public, the various aviation stakeholders, the media and the government for the continued support since it launched in 2014.
He emphatically acknowledged the pivotal role played by former DG, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Engineer Ben Adeyileka, in helping the airline secure its Airline Operator Certificate, AOC.
The Air Peace boss thanked Fidelity Bank for the consistent support and stressed that the bank had contributed to the success story of the airline.
“I call it our journey with Fidelity Bank. I did not envisage this day would come when an indigenous institution would be celebrating another indigenous institution. Fidelity supports real business.
They keep removing people from the streets of poverty. Let other banks emulate Fidelity”, he added.
Onyema revealed that Air Peace was set up primarily to create employment, not to profiteer. According to him, the motivation behind the business was to empower Nigerians economically.
“Air Peace was not borne out of the intent to profiteer but to create jobs. Air Peace was not established because I wanted more money but because of the conviction that running an airline would create massive job opportunities. That was why we went into aviation”, he remarked.
Highlighting how the airline never fails to engage in humanitarian interventions for Nigerians, especially the numerous evacuation flights at critical times, the aviation leader asserted that Air Peace truly cares about the Nigerian project and supporting the airline means supporting the growth of the Nigerian economy.
Onyema said the airline needs the support of Nigerians to sustain the newly launched London service.
“For every penny you pay to Air Peace, you pay to sustain the jobs of thousands of Nigerians and support economic growth.
“Air Peace flies you from any of our domestic routes to London. So, you can fly from Yola to London via Lagos. From the local airport, you are taken to the international airport free of charge with a seamless luggage transfer”, Onyema affirmed.
Pledging that the airline will continue to fully adhere to the standard of safety, he lauded the Management and staff of Air Peace for the efforts in realising the London dream.
Onyema also had a word for ethnic jingoists.
“Let’s shun ethnic nationalism and spread love and broad nationalism. Air Peace is not an Igbo airline. It is a Nigerian airline that belongs to two hundred million people”, Onyema stated.
