The chairman/Chief Executive Officer, CEO of Air Peace, Chief Allen Onyema has lamented the poor treatment of Nigerian air passengers by foreign airlines, saying it is indefensible and as such must stop.
While reacting to allegations that local airlines are in support of government’s decision to withhold ticket proceeds accrued to foreign airlines, Chief Onyema wondered why Nigerians have been paying more than any other country for commensurate miles compared to other nations, stressing that people in South Africa are paying less for nine hours trip than Nigerians pay for six hours trip.
While appearing before a committee of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Chief Onyema also accused foreign airlines of deliberately increasing their frequencies, a conduit they are using to milk Nigerians dry, yet they deny Nigerian airlines opportunity to fly in their own countries.
“They must collect their trapped funds in Nigeria but how do you explain that someone flying from South Africa nine hours to London is paying less than a Nigerian flying six hours?
“How do you explain that someone flying from London to Las Vegas even now is paying far less, half than what a Nigerian is paying for six hour?” he queried.
While stating that foreign airlines are also members of The International Air Transport Association (IATA), Chief Onyema called on AITA to apply force in persuading Nigerian airlines to freely operate in foreign countries at the capacity of a frequency they can afford without restriction and undue hindrances.
“AITA should use the same venom and force to tell these people that we are qualified. If Air Peace could do 14 hours non-stop flight to China, which we have started, six hours to London is a piece of cake but we are hitting brickwall now and then“ he said.
He also recalled with regret how during the COVID-19 evacuation, Air Peace secured landing permit into Heathrow Airport to evacuate over 350 Nigerians, London authorities sent dogs into the aircraft, sniffing its pilots just to discourage the airline from evacuating Nigerian.
Most saddening part of the story according to him is that the authorities in London stopped the airline from conducting an assessment of its aircraft’s safety standard as the practice demands before taking off back to Nigeria.
While expressing gratitude to God that nothing happened to the aircraft, he insists that the action violates safety.
He called on Nigerians to stop bad-mouthing the country in the media space in defence of foreign airline, saying it does not demonstrate patriotism.
