By Emeka Alex Duru
You may not be wrong in situating Nigeria’s leading airline, Air Peace with the story of blind men tasked with describing an elephant in which each gave different account of his impressions on the mammoth creature, depending on which part of the body he touched. In the country’s aviation industry, Air Peace is an elephant of sort. How and the point you encounter it, leaves you with a picture of what the company represents. But a defining factor in its story is that of success attained through resilience and commitment.
Until a chance meeting with the chairman of the airline, Dr. Allen Onyema, I was among those that vigorously criticised Air Peace over flight delays, cancellations and high fares. A particular incident in which our Port Harcourt to Lagos flight was delayed for over four hours, was not funny. In our state of frustration, other passengers told stories of what they claimed to have experienced from the airline. It was therefore with such vehemence that I confronted Onyema but was disarmed by his calm and measured responses. To my shock, the Air Peace founder confessed that he has flight phobia and only flies because he has to. Importantly, he detests sight of blood or gory tales associated with air mishaps. To that effect, he would rather delay or cancel a flight than take chances over such issues as uncertain weather reports, malfunction air craft or other developments that could lead to loss of life and other costly consequences.
He added, for emphasis, that no airline gains from flight delays, stressing that once the first flight of any airline is delayed over weather or other sundry reasons, the rest of the flights for that day would be delayed by the number of minutes or hours of the first delay. That comes with huge cost to the airline affected in terms of taxes and charges by relevant aviation authorities. His explanations on fares charged by the airline and others in the sector, were equally instructive. Onyema summed up the philosophy behind Air Peace, stressing that it is not only a business venture but an avenue to service humanity. Some activities of the company attest to this.
Since its establishment in 2013, Air Peace has grown to become not just Nigeria’s largest carrier but the biggest airline in West African subregion, carrying with it, a phenomenal story of vision and consistency, according to opinions by experts. At a time when many doubted the capacity of a Nigerian airline to compete on the global stage, Air Peace has built a fleet that rivals established international carriers and has further spread its wings across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Its latest routes – Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja (ABV) to London Heathrow (LHR) and ABV to London Gatwick (LGW) scheduled to commence on October 26 and 28 respectively, add to its efforts in widening the frontiers of air travels for Nigerians and other passengers.
The symbolism of its name, “Air Peace,” is not lost to perceptive minds. In a continent where turbulence has too often defined both politics and economics, the airline has offered a sense of stability. With its commitment to safety, affordability, and customer service, it has brought dignity back to Nigerian aviation. With over 30 well-maintained aircraft (and more on the way, according to aviation sources), the airline is not only connecting cities and countries but also connecting dreams, opportunities, and possibilities.
Air Peace also stands as a beacon of national pride, when it matters most. It has on occasions, evacuated stranded Nigerians in times of crisis – from South Africa, during xenophobic attacks; Sudan, in the heat of civil unrest – often at little or no cost to the evacuees. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and 2020, Air Peace made Nigeria proud, flying the country’s flag, as it were, to bring medical supplies to the country and delivering also to other nations. Few airlines anywhere in the world wear that badge of social responsibility so boldly.
That same Nigeria Spirit resonated recently, when the organisation announced the creation of 1,000 fresh graduate jobs through its 2025/2026 Graduate Trainee Programme, in direct reciprocation of the Federal Government’s suspension of the 4% Free on Board (FOB) levy on imports. The programme is designed to equip young Nigerians with the skills, exposure, and mentorship required to thrive in aviation and allied industries, while also building a pipeline of competent professionals who will drive growth in the sector.
The excitement engineered by the gesture is yet to die down when the chairman, Onyema, disclosed that the airline, in collaboration with Embraer, one of the world’s major aircraft manufacturers, has completed plans to build a modern Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Lagos for the maintenance of single and double aisle commercial aircraft in Nigeria, West and Central Africa. According to him, when the N32 billion facility is completed, it would end the ferrying of aircraft overseas for maintenance by Nigerian carriers with the accompanying cost and attendant delay. The outfit will provide technical support while Nigerians will be trained to manage the facility. It will equally create more than 50,000 jobs. In a struggling economy as ours that is characterised by rising unemployment, youth restiveness and rising insecurity, the initiatives by the Air Peace chairman deserve commendation and the organisation celebrated for adding such value to the country.
It is therefore disingenuous that critics and even some government agencies highlight Air Peace more in manners that cause ill-feelings among patrons of the airline. One of such acts of indiscretion was the recent tardy reports by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) over an excursion incident involving Air Peace flight at the Port Harcourt Airport, on July 13, 2025. In aviation terms, an aircraft excursion is when the plane veers off or overshoots the runway during landing, due to factors including miscommunication, faulty gear, pilot’s error or potholes on runway. In such situation, blood and urine samples of the flight crew – the captain, co-pilot and cabin crew member are taken to determine what exactly went wrong. Air Peace crew responded promptly in providing the samples. The tests were reportedly conducted in a government hospital in Port Harcourt, not in a specialist hospital as required by established protocols. Ordinarily, the results ought to be out in a matter of hours. But it took NSIB officials about two weeks to release their findings. And even after they did, the results were not communicated to Air Peace, the employer of the flight crew. They were rather made media issues. There can be no better definition of bad faith on the part of NSIB and its officials. And the chain reactions have taken off, casting the country in bad lights. Co-Pilot David Bernard and Cabin Crew member, Victory Maduneme, have faulted the reports, literally putting NSIB and the aviation authorities in the dock.
For Maduneme, a re-confirmatory test she did at a licensed hospital approved by aviation authority, proved negative. On his part, Bernard said, “I neither drink nor smoke…”. In what should amount to corroboration of his claim, Bernard has been reinstated into active flying duties with full approval from Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). How then did NSIB come about the report it leaked to the press? Why also did the Bureau not communicate Air Peace on its findings?
The idea is not to suggest that relevant regulatory agencies should not do their work. They should! For one, the aviation is a high-risk sector. There is no margin for error in operations here. It is one area that a flip in action and regulation can cause massive damage to life and property. It is not for nothing that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN specialized agency for civil aviation, which sets standards in the industry, acts with precision and insists on compliance. That is the least expected of the NSIB and other agencies in the sector, not to cause panic among the flying public and run down a thriving outfit that is serving the country beyond the Dollar and Naira profit margin.
DURU is the Editor, TheNiche Online Newspapers, Lagos. (08054103327, nwaukpala@yahoo.com)