Xenophobia: Evacuation Flight Delayed over Landing Permit

By Chinedu Eze

It has been confirmed that the flight billed to airlift Nigerians from South Africa has been delayed because authorities at the OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg are yet to give permit to the airline for the flight.

The flight was billed to take off at 1:00am early Tuesday and arrive Johannesburg at 7:00 am.

The flight was also planned to leave the OR Tambo International Airport Johannesburg at 12:00 pm for Nigeria, to arrive the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos by 7:00 pm.

But with this delay, it is uncertain when the flight would leave for South Africa or when it would land.

The Chairman and CEO, Allen Onyema, who confirmed this to THISDAY, said, “We did not take off by 1:00am as scheduled because South African authorities are yet to give us landing permit. We are hopeful that they will give us the permit. Our crew waited till 3:00 am but when the permit did not come, they went back to the hotel. Once we get the permit we will set off to South Africa. We don’t want to speculate but we are hopeful they will give the permit,” Onyema said.

Air Peace is expected to evacuate second batch of returnees, numbering 320 Nigerians as a result of the xenophobic attacks on Africans in South Africa.