Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace has thrown more light on what happened between the airline and the entourage of the Emir of Kano who arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, enroute to Kano on Thursday morning.
Reacting to the letter of complaint written to the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), signed by the Emir’s senior aide, Prince Isa Bayero and made public in the media, Air Peace said that it never meant to insult the Emir; rather, it wanted to protect the honoured image of the supreme traditional leader.
The airline in a statement signed by its Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Toyin Olajide, recalled that in the letter of complaint to NCAA, Mr. Isa Bayero alleged that Air Peace disrespected the Emir of Kano and the people of Kano for not delaying its 6.15a.m. flight to Kano for the Emir and explained that rather than “disrespect the revered Emir of Kano, Air Peace did everything to protect the name and the image of the Emir from ridicule by not succumbing to what Isa Bayero wanted us to do.”
The airline said, “If we had agreed to stop and delay an aircraft, already set to takeoff, for another one hour only for the doors to be opened and the Emir to walk in, there would have been a very serious uproar in the media nationwide against both the airline and the Emir. This we pleaded with Isa Bayero to understand but he refused to accept.
“How could Isa Bayero want the management of Air Peace to stop and delay a fully boarded plane with doors already shut and aircraft already moving while our respected Emir and eight others in his entourage, including Isa Bayero, were still at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos after arriving from Banjul?”
According to the Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Olajide, “From the telephone log evidence on the phone of our Chairman/CEO, Allen Onyema, Mr. Isa Bayero called our Chairman at about 5.52a.m., at a time he was still sleeping. From the same log, it could be seen that Isa called him again at 5.59a.m. This call woke him up and on seeing that it was Isa Bayero calling, he took the call. Isa told our Chairman that he and the Emir of Kano had just landed at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos from Banjul, Gambia and would be proceeding to Kano same morning. He told the Chairman to delay our first flight of the day, the 6:15a.m. Lagos-Kano flight for him and the Emir with another eight persons.
“It was not true that our Chairman refused flatly. He rather told Mr. Isa Bayero to give him a few minutes to call the airport to find out the status of the flight. I was the one he called. To show his desire to help, he called me immediately and intimated me with the request.
“I am the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Air Peace. I quickly called the local airport from where we carry on our day to day domestic flight operations and was told that the aircraft had since finished boarding and was almost taxiing out.
“I quickly called Mr. Isa Bayero with this information and I expressed our desire to put him, their entourage and the Emir of Kano on our 7.00a.m. Lagos- Abuja flight and that on landing in Abuja, we would then put him on our flight going to Kano at no cost to them. Mr. Isa Bayero refused this offer; he insisted that the already taxiing aircraft should be stopped and delayed until the Emir and the other eight persons arrive from the international wing of the airport.”
Olajide said she called Isa Bayero to explain the status and also to proffer a solution, which would be a win -win for both the waiting passengers and the Emir by deciding to fly the Emir and his entourage on the 7:00a.m. flight to Abuja and then from Abuja to Kano at no extra cost
“How this became a disrespectful action by Air Peace baffles us. We took this decision so as to defend the image of our highly revered Emir of Kano and not as an insult as insinuated by Isa Bayero because if passengers were delayed for an hour after boarding and ready to fly and then to see the Emir and his entourage walk in, considering the pulse of the general public lately due to the complaints of delays, it would not have done justice to the image and character of the Emir. We make bold to say that the Emir of Kano we know would have been offended to know that a flight already going was stopped and delayed for over one hour for him,” the airline said.
THISDAY
