Victor EzejaNigerian Airline career, Air Peace has written to the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, accusing the United Arab Emirate (UAE) of peddling falsehood against it in the ongoing controversy over flight schedule agreement between the two countries.
Nigeria and UAE suddenly got enmeshed in fresh diplomatic row within the week arising from denial by the latter to grant Air Peace a request of three weekly flights to Sharjah Airport, granting only one flight per week.
The Aviation Minister consequently withdrew approval for Winter Flight Schedule of 21 weekly flights to Nigeria earlier approved for Emirates Airline by the ministry, granting only one flight in retaliation to UAE action against Air Peace.
While the management of Emirates Airline announced suspension of all its flights to Nigeria, over the development, the UAE Minister of Economy who also doubles as the Chairman of their General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) had written a letter to Sirika dated December 10, 2021, stating that Airpeace had operated in Sharjah Airport and shifted elsewhere coming back to request for three slots which it said was unavailable.
The UAE authority had stated in the letter thus “it would be unreasonable for an airline to expect any airport to maintain their slots when they ceased operating at that airport”
But in the letter signed by Air Peace Chief Operating Officer, Oluwatoyin Olajide, the airline stated that the UAE Aviation authority misrepresented facts about what happened.
In the letter dated December 11, 2021, made available to Prime Business Africa, Olajide stated that Air Peace has never operated in Dubai International Airport, adding that it was denied flight operations in the airport under the guise of slot unavailability which made it to approach Sharjah Airport that granted their request for three slots per week.
Air Peace further clarified that it did not cease operations at Sharjah Airport as alleged by the UAE GCAA chariman but just like other airlines shutdown at the onset of COVID-19 pandemic which led to restrictions of flight activities.
It said it was shocked that when ban on flight operations between Nigeria and UAE was lifted towards the end of November 2021, when it approached the Middle East country aviation authority requesting for three weekly flights , it was turned down.
The letter reads in parts, “Our attention has been drawn to a letter written to you by the UAE Minister of Economy who also doubles as the Chairman of their GCAA. The said letter is dated December 10, 2021and referenced GCAA/C/29-2.
“The said letter is now in the public domain and has gone viral hence our decision to write you and place the true and unassailable facts on record.
“Air Peace has never been given slots at the Dubai International Airport. Slot availability was used to deny us operating from that popular airport as it was our first choice. It was the politics of slot unavailability that did not allow us to operate into Dubai Airport directly.
“The lack of flight slot angle forced us to approach the Sharjah Airport as a last resort. We were welcomed by the government and people of Sharjah.
“While we were denied slots in their most important airport, the Dubai Airport, Emirates has always enjoyed red carpet treatment in Nigeria where they were given our most important airports- Lagos and Abuja where they operate a total of 21 flights weekly.
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“We only asked for three flights weekly at the Sharjah Airport and we got same and started operations on the 5th of July, 2019 until Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020.
“Contrary to the letter, Air Peace never ceased operating from Sharjah International Airport since we started in July 2019. We only stopped when every other airline was forced to stop normal scheduled flight operations as a result of the Covid-19 lockdowns that permitted only evacuation flights. We did several evacuation flights out of Sharjah. So, we never left Sharjah Airport nor did we at any time “shifted” and operated out of DXB (Dubai Airport). The letter deliberately painted us as unserious while at the same time, suggesting that we look for other airports in the country to operate from.
“After the restriction of scheduled flight operations between UAE and Nigeria was lifted towards the last week in November 2021, we approached the Sharjah Airport and GCAA with a request to allow us to operate a charter into the UAE on December 01, 2021.
To our surprise and, despite the lifting of the ban on flight operations between both countries, they refused. They said they would not allow charter but scheduled flight operations,” the statement added.
READ ALSO: Emirates Suspension Of Flights To Nigeria Sparks Another Round Of Diplomatic Row
Air Peace said the UAE decision to grant them only one flight a week affects their business there, stressing that “No one would patronise an airline doing only one flight a week to a destination where one has the option of another airline doing 21 flights a week to the same destination.”
It therefore demanded apology from the UAE aviation authority for misinforming the public about what happened, adding that it affects the company’s public perception.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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