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…Calls on Nigerian Airlines To Break Foreign Carrier Monopoly
LAGOS, NIGERIA – In a startling revelation, Mr. Allen Onyema, Chairman of Air Peace, has accused foreign carriers operating on the Nigeria-UK route of colluding to force Air Peace out of international operations.
Onyema claims that since Air Peace initiated flights to London on March 30, 2024, offering regular airfares, foreign airlines have been actively plotting to drive it out of business.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, Onyema asserted the existence of an “unspoken alliance” among foreign carriers, aiming to utilize lower pricing strategies to push Air Peace off the Nigeria-London route.
His words, “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.
“It’s a very devilish conspiracy,” Onyema noted.
“All of a sudden, (foreign) airlines are underpricing, below the cost, it’s not up to one month, an airline was advertising $100, another one $305, $350.
“Fill up the entire aircraft and carry people on the wings, it’s not even enough to buy your fuel. So, why are they doing that? Their governments are supporting them because Nigeria has been a cash cow for everybody.
“Their governments are supporting them to do this and take Air Peace out. The idea is to take Air Peace out and the moment they succeed in taking Air Peace out, Nigerians will pay 20 times over again.”
Onyema urged other Nigerian airlines to participate in the Nigeria-UK route to disrupt the monopoly currently held by foreign carriers operating into Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt.
Encouraging competition, Onyema emphasized the importance of diversifying airline options on this lucrative route, potentially challenging the dominance of foreign airlines.
