Air Peace Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Allen Onyema, recently opened up about the challenges his airlines have faced due to what he calls both internal and external conspiracies.
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Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Allen Onyema explained how his own country denied Air Peace and threw back its application for a Technical Country Operators (TCO) permit.
This permit would have allowed the airline to fly into any European country. Allen Onyema also lamented that it took Nigeria’s leading airlines seven years to get the designation to fly into London.
These challenges have undoubtedly affected Air Peace’s growth and expansion plans, but the airline remains committed to providing quality services to its customers.
“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.”
Onyema suggested that Nigerian airlines need all the necessary support they could get from the Federal Government.
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