The recent launch of London operation by Air Peace has continued to elicit excitement among individuals, groups and corporate organisations in Nigeria.
The latest to join in the celebration frenzy is Fidelity Bank Plc which recently held a fete for the airline “for its milestone of commencing scheduled flight operations into London.”
The event attracted Nigerians from all walks of life – aviation stakeholders, media personalities and well-wishers of both brands.
In her remarks, the managing director of the bank, Mrs Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe commended the airline’s “giant strides and financial discipline which it has upheld since inception.”
“Air Peace”, according to her, “has been very loyal to us. We are grateful to have them as our client and we are celebrating their milestone of launching direct flight service to London and other milestones they will achieve”.
In his remarks, the chairman of the airline, Mr Allen Onyema called for the support of all Nigerians to sustain the newly launched route.
“For every penny you pay to Air Peace, you pay to sustain the jobs of thousands of Nigerians and support economic growth.
“Air Peace flies you from any of our domestic routes to London. So, you can fly from Yola to London via Lagos. From the local airport, you are taken to the international airport free of charge with a seamless luggage transfer,” he added.
He also said the airline was set up primarily to create employment and empower Nigerians but not to profiteer.
“Air Peace was not borne out of the intent to profiteer but to create jobs. Air Peace was not established because I wanted more money but because of the conviction that running an airline would create massive job opportunities. That was why we went into aviation,” Onyema stated.
Highlighting how the airline never fails to engage in humanitarian interventions for Nigerians, especially the numerous evacuation flights at critical times, Onyema asserted that Air Peace truly cares about the Nigerian project and supporting the airline means supporting the growth of the Nigerian economy.
However, he noted that it was not rosy for the carrier to attain its current status.
He expressed gratitude to the flying public, the various aviation stakeholders, the media and the government for the continued support since it launched in 2014.
He emphatically acknowledged the role played by the former director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr Ben Adeyileka, in helping the airline secure its airline operator certificate.
He also thanked Fidelity Bank for the consistent support and stressed that the bank had contributed to the success story of the airline.
“I call it our journey with Fidelity Bank. I did not envisage this day would come when an indigenous institution would be celebrating another indigenous institution. Fidelity supports real business. They keep removing people from the streets of poverty. Let other banks emulate Fidelity”, he added.
