Stanley Olisa, spokesman of the airline, was reacting to a
recent interview granted by a stakeholder in the industry who said that
Nigerian airlines cannot succeed in international operation because they are
not in IATA clearing house and also that they operate point to point.
According to him, that was obvious expression of ignorance
by the stakeholder “who spoke authoritatively about how Nigerian airlines are
going to fail, as he is wont to do, always predicting how Nigerian carriers are
going to fail and how he has the magic wand to stop the failure if he is
consulted. But he does not know that Air Peace is in IATA clearing house!”
Olisa said that Air Peace has what it takes to succeed on
international routes and has forged strategic foreign operational alliances to
sustain its overseas operations.
By lauding another airline in the said interview, which he
said is operated professionally because the airline has indicated its interest
to operate regional service, Olisa said this is the old strategy to pit
Nigerian airlines against one another, which in recent times has failed
woefully because the airlines have realized that some of those who strut around
as industry experts waiting to be consulted do not mean well for the airlines.
“We are not in the business of prosecuting campaigns of
calumny on other airlines but for the so-called expert to gloss over Air Peace,
the only Nigerian airline operating regional and international flights for over
six years, is not only unfair but is reflective of those old games that have
stopped working,” Olisa said.
The stakeholder stressed that point-to-point operational
model does not allow Nigerian airlines to succeed on international routes.
“We agree with him that the model has its limitations but he
failed to add or realise that Nigeria does not have transit facilities at
international airports. Air Peace operates connecting flights such as
Lagos-Banjul-Dakar and Lagos-Accra-Monrovia. Besides, Nigerian airlines are
pushing that the Nigerian Immigration Service should recognize transit
passengers and not insist that they obtain Nigerian visa before connecting
their flight.
“We hope that things will change when transit facility is
built at out airports and the Nigerian Immigration Service is on the same page
with us about transit passengers. That is even when we would be ready to
benefit from Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).
“We expected the stakeholder to comment on the myriad of
challenges confronting Nigerian airlines instead of indirectly castigating Air
Peace, the largest carrier in Nigeria operating about 3000 flights monthly, a
figure that is higher than the total number of flights operated by all the
other Nigerian airlines put together,” Olisa said.
On the issue of flight disruptions, Olisa said that it is
not enough to blame the airlines for the delays and cancellations; noting that he
should have also critically dwelt on the issues that engender these
disruptions. The Air Peace spokesman emphasized that no airline deliberately
delays flights or takes delight in cancelling flights.
“Every airline wants to record a high percentage of on-time
performance but there are several factors that cause flight disruptions beyond
the control of the airlines. The Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) has just
announced harmattan haze in northern part of the country. This obviously will
disrupt flights and soon it will come down to the south.
“Airlines suffer delays due to VIP movement; aircraft are
grounded due to bird strike. All these in addition to other factors beyond the
airlines cause flight delays and as an ‘expert’ in the industry who has put in
many years in the sector, he should know better than pushing the blame on the
airlines.
“We advise that the so-called aviation expert should be fair
when opinionating on industry issues and refrain from making Air Peace, or any
other Nigerian airline, look unserious and foredoomed.
“He should avoid vindictive sentiments and channel his
energy into offering key insights that can help move the country’s aviation
industry forward for the good of all,” Olisa also said.