Aviation
External, internal forces worked against Air Peace Lagos-London operation – Onyema
External, internal forces worked against Air Peace Lagos-London operation – Onyema
Air Peace Chief Executive Officer, (CEO)Allen Onyema, says the airline faced internal and external obstacles before it could commence Lagos-London flight operation.
He spoke on Monday in an interview with Arise TV, adding that it took the airline seven years to commence operations.
Air Peace, Nigeria’s flag carrier, on March 30, commenced its Lagos-London flight services.
Onyema said, “We got the designation about six and a half years ago to go into London. Since then, it has been a cat-and-mouse game.
“We actually procured our three-triple seven because of this route, not for any other route because we wanted to give it the blow that it deserved at that time.
“However, we were not allowed to. Whether you like it or not, there is what we call international aero-politics which is very dirty. We applied for the third-country operators (TCO). You must get that one before you start going into any European country, UK inclusive.”
Onyema also recalled that when the TCO organisation from Europe wrote the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), asking if the agency knew Air Peace and its designation, the regulator denied the airline.
“My country denied us. So, they tweaked back. We went back to the NCAA and they said we did not tell them. Who designated us? The Federal Ministry of Aviation whose duty it was and it still is to do that,” he said.
According to Onyema, the airline was ready “but they (NCAA) said until they allowed us apply”.
“We got designation from the Federal Government and the NCAA, under the same Federal Government that was telling me that you should not make any application going into the UK,” he said.
He said this happened despite obtaining licences to fly to China and India.
Onyema said the NCAA did not find the airline worthy to fly to the UK, even though it is doing “over 160 hours of flying daily” in the country.
“No other airline in Central Western Africa does that much. So, the game is both from within and without. We were stopped. I’ll never stop saying it,” he said.
“So, we continued this cat and mouse game with the NCAA until Captain Musa Nuhu during his time said enough is now enough. Air Peace must be allowed to go in. What’s the issue? When the heat became so much, they told us to prove to them that we will be able to pass the TCO.
“If I don’t pass the TCO, it doesn’t mean anything, then I’ll leave. But allow me to go. They said we must prove to them that we will be able to pass the TCO. I said you come and audit us based on the TCO standard.
“They said we had to get consultancy firms from IATA to do that and IATA must conduct that and give their results. We paid a cost of over $200 million. We brought IATA and IATA conducted it.”
Onyema said Air Peace passed the test and wrote to the NCAA to approve the process to do an audit with the TCO Europe.
He said the TCO did not respond for over a year until the airline threatened to go to the press if their response was not received.
Aviation
Disaster averted as bird strike hits Abuja-Lagos Air Peace flight
Disaster averted as bird strike hits Abuja-Lagos Air Peace flight
An Abuja-Lagos flight was on Thursday aborted following a bird strike on the airplane belonging to Air Peace, forcing the authorities to ground the aircraft.
The bird strike experienced in the early hours reportedly prompted a ramp return to ensure the safety of passengers onboard.
All the passengers quickly disembarked and were calmed down before they were moved into another plane for the one-hour journey.
A bird strike is a collision between a bird and an aircraft, or other airborne animal, while the aircraft is in flight, taking off, or landing. And it can be a significant threat to aircraft safety.
Air Peace in a statement by its Head of Corporate Communications, Ejike Ndiulo, said the bird strike occurred at 6:30am, and all passengers disembarked normally.
The statement read, “We wish to inform our esteemed passengers that our Abuja- Lagos 06:30 flight experienced a bird strike before take-off, prompting a ramp return as a safety measure. All passengers disembarked normally.
“We have deployed a replacement aircraft for the affected flight in order to minimize disruptions, thus ensuring that passengers continue their journeys promptly.
“We appeal for the understanding of our valued passengers impacted by this development, as well as those on other flights that may experience delays.
“At Air Peace, we are committed to providing safe, comfortable, and reliable air travel for all our passengers.”
Aviation
Black box of crashed helicopter in P’Harcourt found, two passengers still missing
Black box of crashed helicopter in P’Harcourt found, two passengers still missing
A flight data recorder otherwise called back box of the helicopter that crashed in Rivers State two weeks ago has been recovered.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) confirmed this in a statement.
The helicopter operated by East Wind Aviation and hired by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited crashed on October 24 while travelling from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) base in Port Harcourt.
The aircraft, carrying six passengers and two crew members, went down in the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar, around 11:22am.
A week later, the NSIB reported that a fifth body was recovered from the site of the crash.
In a statement on Friday, Bimbo Oladeji, NSIB director, public affairs and consumer protection, confirmed that the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), the black box, were retrieved from the site.
Oladeji said the bureau, in collaboration with Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and other search and recovery partners, coordinated efforts with both local and international teams to locate and retrieve the bodies of the deceased and essential components necessary for a full investigation.
“The FDR and CVR, commonly referred to as the aircraft’s ‘black box,’ was retrieved early this morning,” Oladeji said.
Aviation
Air crash averted as Australian plane suffers engine failure
Air crash averted as Australian plane suffers engine failure
A major air crash was averted on Friday after an Australian passenger plane suffered an engine failure.
The plane departing from Sydney, Australia, had experienced engine failure, causing the aircraft to circle before making a safe emergency landing, according to a post by Qantas on X.
Another report from Sydney Airport said a grass fire also ignited along one side of the runway but it was unclear whether the two incidents were related.
The fire had since reportedly been contained, though some flight delays were experienced.
Qantas did not disclose the number of passengers on board the twin-engine Boeing 737-800, which was bound for Brisbane, when the engine failed with a loud bang.
It also said there were no injuries from the incident.
“We understand this would have been a distressing experience for customers, and we will be contacting all customers this afternoon to provide support,” stated Qantas Chief Pilot, Captain Richard Tobiano.
“We will also be conducting an investigation into the cause of the engine issue.”
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