It’s indefensible to charge N2.3m for London flight – Onyema

Air Peace Chairman, Mr Allen Onyema, has said it is indefensible for any foreign airline to charge as much as N2.3m for a six-hour flight to London. He said while he supports the idea of foreign airlines repatriating their funds in line with the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA), the “cut-throat” competition must stop. There’s […]

Air Peace Chairman, Mr Allen Onyema, has said it is indefensible for any foreign airline to charge as much as N2.3m for a six-hour flight to London.

He said while he supports the idea of foreign airlines repatriating their funds in line with the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA), the “cut-throat” competition must stop.

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“The foreign airlines on their own should reduce their frequencies and the cut throat competition should stop. Why are you running many frequencies and at the end of the day, you compound the woes of the country? Why would anyone pay N2.3 million for a six-hour flight to London? That is indefensible,” he said.

Onyema spoke against the backdrop of the controversy trailing the foreign airlines’ trapped funds which have prompted the carriers to restrict the local airlines from online ticketing.

The representatives of foreign airlines and the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had met at the House of Representatives plenary recently as the foreign airlines’ trapped funds continue to mount despite the $260m released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Daily Trust learnt that despite the release, some airlines are yet to receive their part of the fund while the money continues to pile up. It is estimated to be around $700m at the moment.

In a transcript of his discussion during the meeting, the Air Peace Chairman decried the exploitative fares being charged by foreign airlines.

“We must begin to love our country. We are not against them collecting their money but how do you explain that someone flying nine hours from South Africa to London, is paying less than a Nigerian flying six hours. How do you explain how someone flying from London to Las Vegas is paying far less than what a Nigerian is paying for six hours,” he said.

“This issue of trying to prevent Nigerian airlines from doing what they are doing, and it didn’t start now. Let us take our minds back to the evacuation flights during COVID, and when they say it is because of trapped funds that the disparity in the cost of flight tickets is so huge, I disagree.

“During COVID evacuation, the cost of fuel was not this high. Air Peace struggled to get a landing permit into Heathrow Airport to help Nigerians. Our tickets were sold out within two hours for a 364-seater aircraft which is our 777. Why was it like that? It is because Air Peace understood the plight of Nigerians and fixed its fare at less than N400, 000, while another airline coming from there was talking about 2000 pounds from Nigeria.”