Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has disclosed that foreign airlines are trying to edge out Air Peace from foreign routes.

Sani said foreign airlines will continue to crash their fares until they edge out Air Peace from foreign routes.

Posting on X, Sani urged Nigerians to patronize local airlines to keep their foreign counterparts in check.

He wrote: “The reason why foreign airlines are crashing their prices is simply because of Air Peace.

“They will continue to lower their fares until they edge out Air Peace from those foreign routes, and then they will return to their tyranny of prices. The more you patronise our local Airlines, the more you will put them in check.”

On March 30, 2024, Air Peace, one of the local carriers in Nigeria, reciprocated the lopsided Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the United Kingdom when the local airline began direct flight operations to Gatwick Airport in London.

The development has been applauded by many industry observers with more local airlines being encouraged to commence international flights to profitable routes.

The price of international flight ticket on the Lagos-London route was as high as N3.5m but with Air Peace pegging a return economy class ticket for N1.2m, foreign airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Qatar Airways have been forced to slash their prices to stay competitive.

The Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, had raised the alarm that foreign carriers operating the Nigeria-UK route are allegedly conspiring to send his carrier out of international operations by crashing airfares on the route.

Onyema alleged that there is an “unspoken alliance” among foreign airlines to use lower pricing to eject Air Peace from the Nigeria-London route.

“If they take out Air Peace prematurely, this country will pay dearly for it, 10 times over, billions will be lost, there will be another heavy strain on the naira,” he said.