Yemisi Izuora
Air Peace, on Wednesday flagged off its direct flight to China with a full load factor of 240 passengers on its inaugural flight to Guangzhou, China.
The airline operated the flight with a Boeing 777 aircraft which left the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos around 7 p.m.
Speaking during the flag-off of the carrier’s Lagos-Guangzhou flight, Chief Operating officer of Air Peace, Oluwatoyin Olajide said the airline is officially adding the continent of Asia to its network of continents, with the commencement of initial one-weekly flight to Guangzhou-China.
She said the commencement of the direct flight from Lagos to China would strengthen the economic pact of both countries, adding that Nigerians would be available to get visas to travel to China.
“If you look at what is happening today in Nigeria and if you look at the population of Chinese here and look at the projects Chinese are handling here, you can imagine the impact and now having a direct flight is going to strengthen the bond between the two countries and increase the revenue generated from the connections of these two countries.
“This is something that Air Peace has finally been able to cement to make this union a huge benefit,” she added.
To the he airline also disclosed plans to partner Asian carriers to distribute passengers to other destinations outside Guangzhou, China.
Olajide noted that the airline is not entirely new to the Chinese airspace as it has successfully operated several evacuation/special flights to the country at different times in the past, especially in 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown.
She said, “So, we’re going into China, not as newcomers, but as an airline that is technically and operationally acclimatised with the Chinese terrain.
“The flying public, especially those that fly the Guangzhou route, should expect best-in-class flight experience, which is characteristic of the Air Peace brand. We’re not stopping with Guangzhou- India is next and Israel is in the works,” she said.
She said the airline would soon launch Malabo in Equatorial Guinea and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, adding that Air Peace would continue to grow its route network as well as modero9se its fleet strategically.
She also hinted that the Consultant is now open for more people to travel to China from Nigeria, following the lift on travel restrictions put by Chinese government before now.
“Air Peace currently boasts of a network of twenty domestic routes, seven regional routes and two international destinations, including Dubai and Johannesburg.
“As we kick off the Guangzhou route today, we must appreciate the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Ministry of Aviation, the Chinese government, our partners, and other stakeholders for making this possible.
We promise to work harmoniously with all relevant aviation actors to ensure this new route is maximised,” she added.