The Chairman of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema, has accused foreign airlines operating the Nigeria-UK route of engaging in a “devilish conspiracy” to drive Air Peace out of international operations by drastically reducing airfares on the route.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today program, Onyema disclosed that there is an apparent “unspoken alliance” among foreign carriers to utilize lower pricing as a means to oust Air Peace from the Nigeria-London route.
Onyema warned of severe consequences if Air Peace is prematurely forced out, stating that Nigeria would suffer significant financial losses and endure added strain on the national currency.
Air Peace initiated direct flight operations from Lagos to Gatwick Airport in London on March 30, 2024, in response to what it perceived as a lopsided Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
The inaugural Lagos-London flight, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, and Minister of Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anita, received positive feedback from industry observers who anticipate increased participation of local airlines in profitable international routes.
Following Air Peace’s entry into the market, the prices of international flight tickets on the Lagos-London route plummeted significantly, with competitors such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Qatar Airways slashing their prices to remain competitive.
Speaking on Tuesday, the Air Peace boss said foreign airlines operating the route “are fighting back”, adding that his airlines are being “deliberately frustrated in all ways”.
He cited ground handling and space allocation difficulties at Gatwick Airport in the last couple of days.
“It’s a very devilish conspiracy,” Onyema stated.
“All of a sudden, (foreign) airlines are underpricing, below the cost, it’s not up to one month, an airline was advertising $100, another one $305, $350.
“Fill up the entire aircraft and carry people on the wings, it’s not even enough to buy your fuel. So, why are they doing that? Their governments are supporting them because Nigeria has been a cash cow for everybody.
“Their governments are supporting them to do this and take Air Peace out. The idea is to take Air Peace out and the moment they succeed in taking Air Peace out, Nigerians will pay 20 times over again,” he stressed.
Onyema, therefore, invited other Nigerian airlines to join the Nigeria-UK route to break the monopoly hitherto enjoyed by foreign carriers operating into the four major gateway airports of Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.
“I invite other Nigerian airlines to join the fray, let them come, let all of us do international operations. Yes, international aeropolitics is very dirty but somebody must pay the price,” he added.
