.. emphasized Nigeria airlines capacity, lists number of aircraft order, types
Barr. Allen Onyema, Chairman, Air Peace says, the airline has successfully secured the Foreign Carrier Operator Permit (FCOP) and Third Country Operator Permit (TCO-UK) to fly into the United Kingdom.
These two permits allow airlines from other regions to fly to Europe and to operate to the UK.
According to Barr. Onyema, to obtain these permits required stringent audits to ensure the highest safety, capacity and standard conditions to be met which the airline has met and now qualified to fly to the United Kingdom.
“We obtained these permits that qualify us to fly to UK. Before you obtain these approvals, they will audit you very well. You have to go through stringent audit, which we passed. We obtained the permit last week”.
Onyema said, contrary to what many in the industry think; Nigerian airlines have capacity, stressing that, for the first time in years Nigerian airlines are ordering brand new aircraft from the manufacturers, reiterating that Air Peace made firm order of 33 aircraft and purchase right of 17 aircraft, which brings the airline’s total order to 50.
These include 15 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 10, firm order of 13 Embraer E195-E2 and purchase right of 17 of the same aircraft type and firm order of five Embraer E175 and delivery of these aircraft would start early next year in addition to the five brand new Embraer E195-E2 already delivered.
The Air Peace Chairman also said that Ibom Air has ordered 10 band new Airbus A220 and Overland Airways ordered for six Embraer E175, which delivery has already started.
He called on government do everything possible to support the local airlines because they provide thousands of jobs for Nigeria, serve as catalyst for economic development of the country and also contribute to the nation’s GDP.
“The jobs one small Nigerian airline provides are more than the jobs provided by all foreign airlines in Nigeria, so the federal government should deem it very important supporting Nigerian airlines”.
