Air Peace on Thursday operated its maiden scheduled Lagos-Ilorin-Abuja flight as part of its no-city-level-behind plan to connect the major cities in Nigeria.
The flight which took off from the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos and landed at the Ilorin International Airport 11am was welcomed by the governor of Kwara State, Mr. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Kayode Alabi.
Speaking at the airport, the airline’s safety manager, Capt. Godfrey Ogbogu who represented the chairman and chief executive of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema said the Lagos-Ilorin-Abuja service “signifies the provision of more network options and connectivity for the people in the Middle Belt region.”
He described the daily flights into Ilorin from Lagos and Abuja as “a momentous feat,” adding that the service would boost the economy of the state and generate employment for the people.
“If you have been keeping tabs on the trajectory of Air Peace, you will have noticed our strategic and consistent route network expansion. This is driven by our unwavering resolve to plug the gaps in Nigeria’s Air travel and more importantly, give the Nigerian flying public multiple network options.
“We are famed for our ‘no-city-level-behind’ initiative. The goal, really, is to interconnect various cities in Nigeria and beyond to tremendously impact the country’s economic indices.
“And this explains why we have also extended our wings to Ilorin. With the support of the state government, under the visionary leadership of His Excellency, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, whom we are profusely grateful to, Air Peace is promising the people of Ilorin and its environs seamless and affordable air travel.
“Air Peace is a socially sensitive and responsive airline, and as such, we are constantly reviewing our route network vis-à-vis the public’s needs while factoring strategic ways of expanding it to provide enormous value to Nigerians. That is precisely what today’s inaugural flight into Ilorin represents.
“As we commence daily flights into Ilorin from Lagos and Abuja today, we are promising that this new route will be optimally serviced, and Nigerians, especially Ilorin residents, will vastly benefit from it.
“We also pledge to work concertedly with all the stakeholders in the state, the aviation regulator, the airport administrator, and of course the state government to ensure we maximise the gains of air travel and sustain the impact.”
In his remarks, the governor hailed the airline for taking a great management decision to commence the flights into Ilorin from Lagos and Abuja.
Noting that the Air Peace flight would support the state’s drive towards industrialisation, the governor said the inaugural flight testifies to how the state evolved as a new investment destination in Nigeria.
He promised that the state government would provide the requisite support and encouragement for the airline to succeed on the Ilorin route.
Also at the airport to welcome the maiden flight was president of the Ilorin Emirates Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Mr. Ota Aliyu Uthman.
