ken Okeke
Air Peace has written to President Bola Tinubu and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment over the allegation of exploitative airfares levelled against it by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
The airline also debunked reports that it was being investigated by the commission as claimed.
Speaking on Friday in Lagos, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olajide, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Air Peace said that the allegation levelled against it by FCCPC had negatively affected its business and image outside the country.
Olajide agreed that the Federal Government had over the years supported the operating carriers in Nigeria, but regretted that the attitude of some Agencies were in contradiction with the government’s support.
According to Olajide, rather than the FCCPC to go to the public to accuse it of exploitative practices, it expected the Agency to liaise with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the aviation sector regulator.
The airline also debunked the claim that it engaged in such unwholesome practices, maintaining that a lot of indices determine the cost of an air ticket.
She lamented that the airline had since its inception in 2014, been in the forefront of supporting Nigeria with the free flight services offered to Nigerians during the xenophobic attacks in Saudi Arabia and Covid-19 pandemic, which crippled the global economies.
She said: “We deeply appreciate the support of President Bola Tinubu for the Nigerian airlines and that is why we want to clarify this. The FCCPC had sent a letter of enquiry to us and we were called to come to Abuja.
“We honoured the request and in fact Dr. Allen Onyema, the Chairman of Air Peace himself went to Abuja to listen to what they have to say about this inquiry. Let me try to say something before I go deep into this whole matter. Aviation is a highly regulated industry and we are fully aware that this industry is regulated by the NCAA.
“So, if there are any issues at all, and we have another agency that wants to make an inquiry about an airline, the right channel was for such agency to approach the NCAA for such clarification or concerns. Then, the NCAA will give them the full details.
“Then, if they are not satisfied with the explanation, you can write to us directly for an explanation. When the news broke out the next day, it was no longer an enquiry, rather it was that the Federal Government was investigating Air Peace. A lot of people might not know the implication of that headline alone.”
She maintained that the airline had been able to free the country from the shackles of exploitative airfares by foreign airlines through its international, maintaining that it would never engage in such practices.
She further regretted the high interest rates of about 30 per cent paid by airlines on loans, stressing that this was contributing to the collapse of many Nigerian airlines.
Olajide also lamented the costs of operations like the high price of Jet A1, insurance, maintenance, taxes and other levies imposed on the airlines.