Toyin Olajide, the Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace, revealed that economy class seats on the airline’s Lagos to London flights have been fully booked for the next 60 days, starting from July.
Nigerian travelers on the Lagos-London route, including a travel agency, have praised Air Peace for commencing flight services to European destinations three months ago.
In a recent interview in Lagos, Olajide acknowledged the numerous challenges the airline had faced on the route but expressed satisfaction that the airline was now offering Nigerians an alternative.
According to Olajide, the airline’s flight on Sunday, June 30, 2024, was completely booked in economy class, and all 41 business class seats were also occupied. She noted that there had been an issue with advertising first-class seats, which has since been resolved by the management.
Additionally, Olajide explained that Nigerians flying from the United States to the United Kingdom often book Air Peace to Lagos, benefiting from affordable US-Europe flights.
By doing so, travelers on the US-UK-Nigeria routes save considerable money compared to direct US-Nigeria flights.
She also mentioned that Chinese citizens living in Nigeria frequently fly Air Peace to London and then connect with China Southern Airlines to China to reduce their travel expenses.
She said: “But our system did not advertise our first-class seats, an error that has been corrected. So, what it means is that we recorded a very high load factor, only 12 seats in the first class and one business class seat; that is, 13 seats were empty out of the 274-seat capacity aircraft. We thank Nigerians. We appreciate the fact that they are happy with the airline.
“We recently upgraded two passengers who flew from the US to London and used our flight to Lagos. We upgraded them from economy class to business class in appreciation of their commitment and desire to patronise us. But they also take advantage of the cheap flights between Europe and the US, and our flights are also affordable. So, this enables them to save a lot of money.
“The entrance of Air Peace into this market has not only increased accessibility but also diversified the passenger base. Remarkably, the airline has attracted elderly passengers who previously could not afford high ticket prices post-pandemic, as well as students returning home for family events and reunions. This influx has resulted in a 5 per cent to 15 per cent increase in passengers.”
According to Olajide, Air Peace’s operations have also played a crucial role in positively positioning Nigerian brands.
She noted that products like farm fresh yoghurt, Gratia chin chin flakes, Olu Olu chips, and local long-grain Nigerian rice had gained exposure and expanded their reach.
“This ripple effect has benefited small businesses and local farmers who supply produce like tomatoes, peppers, and spinach, contributing to an economic expansion of over N2bn,” she added.
Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, recently announced that the Federal Government has started the process of enabling Nigerian airlines to gain direct access to international routes to the United States and South American countries.
On March 20, Air Peace launched its Lagos-London flight services.
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