Allen Onyema, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Peace Airlines, spoke out about the challenges his airline faced, which he described as both internal and external conspiracies.
During an appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme, Onyema recounted how Air Peace was denied by ‘his own country’ when they applied for a Technical Country Operators (TCO) permit, which would have enabled them to operate in European countries. He expressed frustration over the bureaucratic obstacles that hindered their ability to expand into London, despite obtaining the designation seven years prior.
Onyema lamented, “You suffer what I call both internal and external conspiracies. It took us seven years… Whether you like it or not, there is what is called international aero politics which is very dirty.”
Regarding the TCO application process, Onyema revealed, “We applied for the TCO… And the TCO organization from Europe wrote our Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority- Do you know Air Peace? Do you know about their designation? And we were denied. My own country denied us, so they threw it back.”
He elaborated on the challenges faced in obtaining approval, stating, “We went back to the NCAA, they said, oh, we didn’t tell them. Who designated us, the Federal Ministry of Aviation, whose duty it was and still is to do that. We said okay, we’re ready. They refused, they said until they allow us to apply.”
Onyema emphasized the need for Nigerian airlines to receive support from the Federal Government, stating, “Nigerian airlines need all the necessary support they could get.”
