BETWEEN AIR PEACE AND EMIRATES AIRLINE

Despite the challenges facing the nation, this is one of the good times to be a proud Nigerian! President Buhari-led government has made me proud. The recent reciprocal reduction of Emirates flights to Nigeria from 21 per week to just once, in retaliation to UAE’s limitation of Air Peace’s flights to Dubai via Sharjar Airport, to one flight per week, has sent an assuring message that the federal government will go full length to protect the interests of indigenous airlines and Nigerian air travellers.

Gone are the days when indigenous airlines would be left in the cold of crippling politics of foreign airlines and its attendant grave implications for Nigerians on the international routes. Nigerians are among the most mobile humans on this planet—we travel a lot. The Nigerian route is one of the busiest in the world, yet Nigerian airlines have not really benefited from this huge traffic.

Behemoth cum legacy airlines have been using their different home governments to frustrate Nigerian airlines from consolidating in the international routes; thereby monopolising the routes while Nigerian travellers are left at their mercy of arbitrary fares and other forms of exploitative tendencies. I think we have reached elastic limit of tolerating these excesses. Never again!

They had gotten away with this impunity and discriminatory actions in the past because previous administrations did not stand up to these economic bullies but Aviation Ministry under Hadi Sirika is making a difference. No injustice lasts forever. Every serious government of the world defends the interests of its indigenous companies against predatory actions of other nations. I am very happy that our government has etched this belief in its consciousness.

In February this year, UAE employed the fight against Covid-19 as a smokescreen to frustrate Air Peace Airline from coming to Sharjar, using “Rapid Antigen Test” as a flimsy excuse. The federal government reciprocated by stopping Emirates flights to Nigeria. When UAE had a rethink on the Rapid Antigen Test requirement, Nigerian authorities lifted the ban on Emirates flights.

The foregoing context forms the crux of the matter. While Emirates announced flights resumption to Nigeria starting from 5th December, 2021, it never wanted Air Peace to resume its flights on Dubai route. Emirates Airline loves to retain its age-longed monopoly of the route, but has gotten more than it bargained for. Notwithstanding several warnings from Nigerian aviation authorities to UAE’s government to allow Air Peace’s fly to Sharjar Airport, at least three times per week, it fell on deaf ears.

UAE even went further to reduce Air Peace’s flights to just once per week. What a diplomatic imprudence! Emirates had permission for 21 flights into Nigeria per week, yet UAE could not allow Air Peace just three flights per week. Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority got infuriated, in commendable reciprocity and display of regulatory acumen, reduced Emirates flights to one per week. Applause! Who losses more? Emirates! Now it has dawned on them by giving Air Peace seven slots a week. We should ask for more.

– Chidiebere Nwobodo, Abuja