Former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika lied – Air Peace
Former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, lied, according to Toyin Olajide, Air Peace‘s Chief Operating Officer, who addressed discrepancies in Hadi Sirika’s recent interview on Arise Television. She clarified misunderstandings and set the record straight.
During a discussion on the aviation industry, Sirika praised Ethiopian Airlines but criticized Air Peace for parking leased Boeing 777 planes. However, Olajide stated they own three Boeing 777 planes outright.
She refuted the claim of significant losses, stating they never paid rentals. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority can confirm Air Peace’s ownership of the aircraft.
Olajide disagreed with Sirika’s statement that Air Peace stopped flying to Dubai due to capacity issues. She explained the UAE imposed a visa restriction on Nigerians, leading to the suspension of operations.
She highlighted Air Peace’s capacity, with orders for new aircraft and their contributions during the Covid-19 outbreak. Olajide urged the public to disregard Sirika’s comments and clarified Air Peace’s position.
According to her, Air Peace never stopped the Dubai operations because of lack of capacity. She said, Airpeace commenced operations into the UAE in July, 2019, but in October 2022, the UAE Government announced a total visa ban on Nigerians.
“Neither Emirates nor Air Peace is operating the Nigerian/UAE route since the ban. The persisting non-issuance of visas and the accompanying inconveniences necessitated the suspension of our Dubai operations from November 22, 2022 till date.
“For the former minister to ascribe the suspension to ‘lack of capacity’ is not only shocking but also shows how keen he is to disparage an airline that has defied all the commercial odds and hostile environment placed on its path to continue to serve our nation proudly.
“How could an airline that placed a firm order for 13 brand new E2-195 aircraft, a firm order of 15 Boeing 737 Max 8 & Max 10, with over 30 aircraft already in its existing fleet be accused of lacking in capacity?
“How can an Airline that stood up for the entire nation during the Covid-19 outbreak, and embarked on rescue operations worldwide, evacuating Nigerians from far away China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, UK and South Africa during the Covid-19 lockdowns be accused of lacking capacity?,” Olajide added.
She did, however, advise the general public to dismiss the former Minister of Aviation’s accusations against Air Peace during an appearance on Arise Television.
“We take strong exception to a situation in which Air Peace is being misrepresented in the public sphere, resulting in incorrect perceptions of our brand,” she continued.