Air Peace, a wonderful piece of business
When friends of Barrister Allen
Onyema few years ago introduced the idea of establishing a joint cargo
airline business, he embraced the concept with zeal but the whole idea
was short-lived. The reason one may probably say, was an act of God
because we cannot choose our beginning without God’s approval. But later
when God gave him the go ahead he opened the road for Onyema in a
manner that will dignify him as he became the sole owner of his flying
business. Like the conception of a human being, the coming of the
airline was not known until its birth and a certificate was issued to
that effect by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

After
obtaining the Air Operators Certificate, (AOC) the airline was launched
into the sky in October last year but as we report this quarter, Air
Peace is flying in good health. The teething problems that normally
associate with a baby’s growth appear to have parted ways with the
carrier. For Air Peace, it has been a case of growing from strength to
strength looking the image of a well nourished baby who everyone would
want to identify with.
The owner, Allen Onyema, a master
strategist gradually stepping into the ilk of Bill Gates, Richard
Branson, Trumps, John Paul Getty and our own African leading
multi-billionaire, Alhaji Aliko Dangote is however not leaving any stone
unturned to ensure that the airline becomes the first in all areas of
air transportation. The Chairman has since the birth of the airline
chosen an elegant image for it through his commitment, decision and
interest to adequately serve customers. He has indeed made Air Peace a
wonderful piece of business.
Travelling on Air Peace is very
rewarding; the in-flight services are second to none. You can imagine a
life of peace; friendship and happiness offered by the airline while you
are on board cruising at an altitude that your safety is fearlessly
guaranteed. It is an airline of many firsts at its adolescent age, it is
a carrier that thinks big for its numerous customers, it is also an
entity that has goal, the goal of giving its customers peace and
comfort. That is why once one is encapsulated in that ambience of
relaxation a passenger needs fear no fall.
Air Peace is a different brand
entirely. It came and met a very warped industry, where passengers were
treated the way the airlines liked, where passengers could be delayed a
whole day and the flight cancelled at the end of the day without a word
of apology. People were being treated with impunity. So many air
travellers have been victims of such treatment in the hands of some
airlines in Nigeria but Air Peace has come with something different. The
airline has in the last six months when it came into operation changed
the face of the way air travelling is done in this country.
Consequently, a lot of the older airlines are beginning to change for
good in their relationship with customers as they are now trying to be
courteous towards customers.
Nigerians are indeed beginning to
see the difference; ask them, they will tell you the airline is a
different ball game. For instance a regular flyer fond of Air Peace,
said he has only one choice when it comes to travelling by air within
the country and that choice is Air Peace. According to Bimbo Atekoja,
“when you travel with Air Peace there are no hassles; in fact you feel
almost the same experience when you travel abroad. I enjoy flying Air
Peace for it’s very reliable.
Atekoja is just one of the
numerous customers who are appreciating the airline for its unique
services and who believe in it, as a potential flagship of the Nigerian
carriers. And another thing that has marked the carrier out is the fact
that at the command of its air planes are the most experienced pilots in
the country.
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Barrister Allen Onyema
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“We have the most experienced
Captains in the industry. All our captains were the Chief Pilots in
their former places of work, no exception except Dana and this is
because Dana is not operating Boeing. If
they were operating Boeing, may be we would have had their Chief Pilot.
We decided to go for optimal strength and that is why a lot of people
will tell you that when Air Peace lands you hardly know the plane had
landed. The Captains drop our planes like feathers on the ground and
passengers are talking about it,” Barrister Allen Onyema blew his horn
in a recent interview
“I have seen a passenger, a woman
in crutches expressing satisfaction with our services; saying that was
the first time she experienced peace in the air and she was thanking God
but when they said that this is the owner of Air Peace, she insisted
she must have photograph with me and I obliged her. So, these are the
things we are doing today and we have zero tolerance for unsafe
practices.
“We don’t manage anything; our
planes are being managed very well by the British. We have a British
company, the BCT Aviation Maintenance Company. We brought them down to
Nigeria at a huge cost to take charge of the daily maintenance of our
planes. If they don’t sign any plane out, that plane does not take to
the sky. In fact they give you hell when you want to utilise little
things that could be managed on the plane; they will tell you they are
grounding the plane, so we have a good maintenance partner in BCT.
With the above statement coming
from Onyema there is really nothing to fear while making decision to
travel with Air Peace. What has said is simple and this is it- The
Company is not in the group of airlines that breach safety rules. The
owner does not whitewash dark areas in order to be in the air for
selfish gains.
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