……foreign banks and financial institutions want to invest in AirPeace
…..we solicit media support
The call to support Nigerian airlines is gathering momentum, this perhaps show that Nigerian airlines are willing and ready to take the aviation sector to the next level.
According to the former Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren,”it is not wrong supporting your own”.
Chairman AirPeace, Barr. Allen Onyema says the media should be in the forefront of promoting and projecting the Nigerian airlines in the country and the outside world.
“We are here to solict your understanding, your cooperation, support and help to make one airline in this country succeed, I want you to support every other airlines but because we have put ourself forward to do that which has been lacking in this country, we cannot go it all alone without the support of the media”.
At a chat with newsmen in Lagos to unveil the airlines roadmap, he said Nigerian airlines have tagged as not capable, weak, heavily indebted and would never get it right, he said this was not true, adding that it was unfair to describe Nigerian airlines in such a manner when the owners were doing all they could in line with international best to ensure safety, comfort and make the country proud.
“Why we called you here is to give you our roadmap of where we want to be. To start with, you have been told that the reasons for certain things is because the domestic airlines are not capable, that the domestic airlines are weak, that the domestic airlines can never, ever get it right, that there is a lot of gap in the system both on the domestic scene and at the international level, that this airlines are heavily indebted and will never been able to do anything. Nigerian domestic airlines have been demonized to the hill, this is very unfair and it is still unfair. I called you here today to tell you that those are lies”.
Onyema said AirPeace was prepared to make Nigerian airlines shine in the international community as it was ready to succeed on the international routes with the latest state-of-the-art aircraft recently ordered and acquired, Boeing 777s and 737 MAX aircraft.
According to him, many foreign banks and financial institutions in Nigeria have signified interest to do business with AirPeace even when banks were afraid to put their money into airline business because they are of the opinion that it was capital intensive and airlines do not honour contractual agreements.
“I called here today to tell you that one airline has emerged that is ready, very ready and supported by within and outside this country to succeed, why did I say so, there are so many financial institutions all over the world wanting to do business with AirPeace, any bank that is worth its salt in this country”.
Onyema noted that with AirPeace, the banks were not afraid because they have seen that AirPeace has integrity and were begging to participate in AirPeace.
“the real major banks in this country, they all want to work with AirPeace, working with AirPeace is just AirPeace just going to bank with them, they want to invest, they want to work with AirPeace because they’ve seen that there is serious integrity in this airline those are the people you should be listening to and not anybody who comes to demonize us for no reason”.
“Banks that have written out aviation in the past saying that its not a good place to venture into, if these banks are coming up now begging even to participate in what AirPeace is doing, if the foreign banks and financial institutions are coming to say, this is one airline out of Africa that should be watched, that are going places”, he added.
The AirPeace boss said what was required of government was support and not funds, adding that he does not subscribe to government giving airlines money to do business and tax payers money was meant for that purpose.
“The aviation industry worldwide is contacting AirPeace why wouldn’t Nigeria for once say,how can we get it right with this airline? It is not true all Nigerian airlines are weak, what these airlines need is the support of government to move forward, we are not asking government to give us money, it is the duty of banks to lend money to businesses”.
“I wouldn’t subscribe to asking government at any level to give airlines money, I will never, ever subscribe to that, we never use the tax payers money to run AirPeace or any airline for that that’s the duty of banks, that’s why banks are established, if they trust you, they should be able to deal with you, the Nigerian banks trust AirPeace, they want to do business with AirPeace, those doing business with AirPeace are enjoying it”, he added.
