Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace, has described its approval to operate scheduled flights from Nigeria into both London Gatwick and London Heathrow Airports as a historic milestone for the Nigerian aviation sector.
He therefore attributed the breakthrough to the support that the airline received from the UK government.
The Chairman of Air Peace, Dr. Allen Onyema, who disclosed this in |Lagos, said the achievement was remarkable because it has taken seven years for any Nigerian airline to secure such access, underscoring the resilience of the airline and the support it has enjoyed from the United Kingdom.
Onyema commended the British Deputy High Commissioner for Lagos, Jonny Baxter, describing him as “a diplomat par excellence” whose unwavering commitment and fairness ensured that Air Peace received everything necessary to begin its operations into the United Kingdom.
“Jonny Baxter embodies the principle of live and let live. He gave us every support needed to commence our UK operations. Because of his efforts and the open-mindedness of the UK authorities, we can proudly say today that Air Peace’s problem is no longer the UK. The UK loves Air Peace, and Air Peace loves the UK in return,” Onyema stated.
Highlighting the warmth of the relationship, Onyema noted that the invitation from the UK Government for Air Peace to commence London Heathrow flights came as a pleasant surprise, accompanied by Heathrow Airport’s plans to host the airline with a welcome party to celebrate its launch.
According to him, “The UK government even requested that we forward names of those attending so they could make the necessary arrangements. This shows the extent to which they have welcomed us, and we are profoundly grateful to the UK government, the Civil Aviation Authorities, and the people of the UK for the remarkable hospitality they have extended to Air Peace.”
