Over the years, it has become difficult to discuss achievements in Nigeria’s aviation sector as passenger traffic continues to increase as a result of insecurity on the roads and the need to get to destinations as at the expected time.
This is an indication that Nigeria’s traffic figure has seen an upsurge over the years and is projected to continue growing as more people increasingly prefer air travel.
However, Nigeria’ s aviation sector has had records of having faced several challenges where airlines had rarely survived beyond five years, hence, reports show that in the last 25 years, over 30 airlines have closed businesses in Nigeria as a result of these factors.
Meanwhile, the aviation sector is filled with challenges contending with the survival of airlines such as high foreign exchange rate, lack of Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) facilities, multiple taxations, high insurance costs and high cost of aviation fuel amongst others.
To say that, starting a business in an environment where only few have succeeded can be quite challenging. But floating an airline in a nation where most young airlines in the past either went bankrupt, however, it has become difficult to discuss achievements in Nigeria’s aviation sector without making reference to Air Peace, the largest carrier that has been changing the narrative of air travel in the country.
It is against these premises Air Peace toed the path of other domestic carriers, thereby facing the challenging factors already existing in the aviation sector.
Air Peace is an unprecedented success story in the last ten years of operating in Nigeria with investment in aircraft to make a strong case for Nigerian flag carriers on regional and international skies, even as no city is left behind on the home front.
Assuredly, Air Peace has become the backbone of Nigerian Aviation and has helped bridge the gap in providing the much-needed aircraft for movement of people from one destination to another.
Air Peace’s founder, Allen Onyema, a visionary entrepreneur, and the entire management team with vast knowledge of the aviation industry had every operational initiative planned out from the outset, to ensure the airline flies at the top of Sub-Saharan Africa’s aviation terrain and sustains that position through consistent route expansion, strategic fleet acquisition and critical manpower development.
Founded in 2013 by Nigerian lawyer and businessman Allen Onyema’s Air Peace with the main goal of creating jobs for Nigerians and putting the nation on the global aviation map. The airline began operations with Dioner 328s and Boeing 737s.
In 2017, the first international route to Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana was launched. And by 2018, Air Peace had the largest market share in the domestic airline market in Nigeria. That same year, the airline took delivery of its first Boeing 777s, and it commenced flights to Sharjah in 2019. Flights to Johannesburg, South Africa commenced in 2020.
As of today, Air Peace has over 4,000 direct workforce and 9,000 indirect jobs, thereby fulfilling one of the cardinal objectives of floating the airline of which was to create jobs for Nigerians.
Air Peace, also in January 2024 announced that it will launch flight connectivity from its Lagos hub to Cotonou in Benin Republic and Abidjan in Ivory Coast on January 22, 2024, bringing to 10 its regional destinations in a decade of commencing scheduled flight operations.
It also announces that it will introduce connections such as Abidjan-Dakar, Cotonou-Dakar and Abidjan-Cotonou.
Accordingly, the airline has seen an expansion in fleet capacity, especially its brand new Embraer jets, it has increased its local and international route operations, rendered service to Nigeria through CSRs and evacuations flights which has greatly contributed to the employment of Nigerians and staff welfare.
Air Peace Giant Strides in CSR
Perhaps coming to the rescue, Air Peace has continued to seal deals with major aircraft manufacturers in providing aircraft that will match the increasing air traffic demand in Nigeria.
While expanding its footprints in Nigeria and outside Nigeria with increasing fleet size, Airpeace has also offered several relief packages for both Nigeria government and as well Nigerians through its corporate social responsibilities (CSR).
Air Peace, via its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has also rendered a lot of support to the nation, especially in the area of education and sports development.
Recall, that it entered into a N300m sponsored deal with Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), of which made it the official airline of the national team.
Also, In 2019, following an outbreak of xenophobic violence against foreign nationals in South Africa in September 2019, Air Peace offered to evacuate Nigerian citizens for free. Over 300 persons took advantage of this offer and traveled on board Boeing 777 flights from Johannesburg to Lagos.
Again, in the middle of Covid-19 pandemic when most of the airlines retrenched their staff, Air Peace was the only airline that did not sack any of its employees, thanks to the empathic leadership of its chairman, Allen Onyema.
Last year, April 2023 the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the airline, Allen Onyema disclosed the Airline intentions to urgently help those in the war-racked nation (Sudan). He noted that Nigerian students and others stranded in the war-racked nation have urgent “needs our help.”
Onyema, who said he is compelled to help because Nigeria cannot afford to lose her citizens in that country, added that it would be his own commitment to making sure that the stranded Nigerians in the war-torn country are safe.
This has made experts come to the conclusion that Air Peace has been able to survive in a challenging business environment because of its doggedness and financial discipline.
However, “Air Peace has had significant milestones and has become an industry leader in all facets of growth– route network, fleet size and workforce,”
The Chairman and CEO of Air Peace Nigeria Limited, Allen Onyema, once noted the major challenges that beset domestic airline operation in Nigeria which he said – lack of transit facilities at the international airports in the country and some other related issues are one of the many challenges that domestic airline operation in Nigeria often face.
Onyema however commended Nigerians and the federal government for their role in making the airline a success.
Onyema said Air Peace operates to destinations in the West and Central Africa, so, it ought to bring passengers from Douala, Banjul, Accra, Lome, Monrovia, Dakar, Freetown and others to its hub in Lagos and from Lagos airlift them to India, China, South Africa, Jeddah and other long-haul destinations.
