Business a.m.

Air Peace begins daily LagosIlori­n, Ilorin-Abuja flights

- Sade Williams /Business AM

Air Peace, Nigeria’s biggest airline, last Thursday commenced daily flight to Ilorin from Lagos and Ilorin to Abuja as part of its expansion drive and realisatio­n of its no-city-level-behind policy to connect major cities in Nigeria.

The inaugural P47110 flight from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos landed at the Ilorin Internatio­nal Airport by 11:00 a.m amidst excitement from stakeholde­rs and Governor Abdulrahma­n Abdulrazaq represente­d by the Deputy Governor of the state, Otunba Kayode Alabi.

Also, National President of the Ilorin Emirates Descendant­s Progressiv­e Union (IEDPU) representi­ng Ilorin indigenes at home and in the Diaspora, Ota Aliyu Uthman, was on ground to welcome the flight. Safety Manager of the Airline, Capt. Godfrey Ogbogu who represente­d Allen Onyema, chairman and chief executive of Air Peace Airline, said the commenceme­nt of the Ilorin flights “signifies the provision of more network options and connectivi­ty for the people in the Middle Belt region.”

Ogbogu described the daily flights into Ilorin from Lagos and Abuja as “a momentous feat”, saying it would boost the economy of the state and generate employment for the unemployed people in the state.

He said, “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’’.

This explains why we have also extended our wings to Ilorin. With the support of the state government, under the visionary leadership of governor 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’’.

Ogbogu said the airline management will 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.” He solicited the continued support and cooperatio­n of all relevant stakeholde­rs for the airline to keep soaring high.

The governor in his remarks read by his deputy hailed the airline for the decision to commence the flights into Ilorin from Lagos and Abuja. Noting that the Air Peace flight would support the state’s drive towards industrial­ization, he explained that the inaugural flight testifies to how the state has 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 Ilorin route.

Vice-president of the National Associatio­n of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), South-West Zone Comrade Ezekiel Afolabi commended Air Peace for the bold decision to connect Ilorin, urging the airline to replicate the same in other states in the South-West.

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