“…we launched a number of domestic and regional routes under our no-city-left-behind project on the platform of our subsidiary, Air Peace Hopper.”
Louis Ibah
Air Peace Airline yesterday unveiled its plan for the aviation sector in 2019, listing as priority the commencement of long-haul flights to Dubai, Sharjah, London, Guangzhou-China, Houston, Mumbai and Johannesburg in the New Year.
Making New Year resolutions
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Allen Onyema, in a statement on Thursday, commended the travelling public for preferring Air Peace and staying loyal to the brand in 2018 even as he urged staff of the airline to gear up to raise the bar of quality customer services in 2019.
Onyema, attributed the success of the airline in the last four years when it launched operations to the unflinching support customers, pledging that the carrier would spare nothing in making a foray into the international routes in 2019.
“In 2019, we are also going to give the flying public a reliable, safe, affordable and comfortable alternative on some international routes, including Dubai, Sharjah, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai, London, Houston and Johannesburg,” Onyema said.
“We are in the final stage of doing demonstration flights with our Boeing 777 aircraft acquired for long-haul flights to Sharjah, Dakar, Freetown, Johannesburg, Port Harcourt and Kano, as part of the process to induct the aircraft into our service. The international services would give Nigeria and West Africa a sense of pride in the global aviation industry,” Onyema added.
He said the airline had taken steps to prepare members of staff for the task ahead, even as he reeled out some of the company’s achievements in 2018.
“2018 was both challenging and exciting for us. It was the year we upped our record of firsts,” said Onyema.
“In the year under review, we launched a number of domestic and regional routes under our no-city-left-behind project on the platform of our subsidiary, Air Peace Hopper. We also made history as the first domestic airline to acquire and register the Boeing 777 aircraft in Nigeria. We have so far acquired four Boeing 777s, with two already delivered. We also successfully renewed our International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate and Air Operator Certificate (AOC) after a very rigorous process. We diversified the aircraft in our fleet with the inclusion of six 50-seater Embraer 145 jets, which have so far helped our Yuletide operations in no small way.
“But the real big leap came in September when we signed a deal with American plane maker, Boeing for the delivery of 10 brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, making us the first to achieve the feat on the West Coast of Africa,” Onyema added. The Air Peace boss expressed gratitude to loyal customers acknowledging that without their support, preference for and patronage for the airline could not have made a success of the targets set for 2018.
“It was quite a challenging year too, given the dire economic situation across the world, but our customers supported us through it all.
“Our staff have been wonderful with their commitment and dedication to duty through the years, but 2019 is one year all hands must be on the deck to give our customers the best flight experience on the domestic, regional and international routes and make our dear country, Nigeria and West Africa truly proud in the global aviation industry,” Onyema added.