Air Peace airlifted Malaysian and Singaporean nationals form Nigeria and brought back more than 300 Nigerians who were stranded in different Asian countries.
The airline said in a statement that the flights which were executed with two Boeing aircraft marked 5N-BWI and 5N-BVE left for Asia Friday, July 10 and returned Saturday, July 11.
The airline said in a statement that among the evacuees from Nigeria were some 250 Indians.
“Both flights returned safely to Abuja and Lagos Saturday night, evacuating over 300 stranded Nigerians from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia in one flight, while the second flight brought in some stranded Nigerians in India and over 200 Indians working in Nigeria,” said the airline.
It added: “The Nigerian evacuees from Malaysia and Thailand who had lost hope of being brought back to the country commended Air Peace for coming to their rescue at an affordable fare.
“The excited passengers were full of praises for the airline and the federal government of Nigeria for its support.
“They noted that no airline in the world outside that owned by Nigerians would have airlifted them at that fare.”
The airline’s chief operating officer, Mrs. Toyin Olajide, thanked the federal government for all the support and assured that with such continued support, Air Peace, and indeed, other Nigerian carriers would be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with other notable carriers in the world.
Particularly, she expressed appreciation to the ministers of aviation and foreign affairs, Messrs Hadi Sirika and Geoffrey Onyeama respectively for their support to airline and the succour “they have given to Nigerians living abroad by providing them the opportunity to return home.”
“The fact that foreign governments have started using Air Peace to evacuate their nationals is an evidence of what the airline and other Nigerian carriers subjected to the stringent regulatory conditions by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) can do,” she added.
Olajide also disclosed that besides bringing Nigerians back from the UK, India, China, Turkey, Kenya, and Uganda, the airline “has equally been contracted by governments of Israel, China, India and now Malaysia to evacuate their citizens.”
