By Nkem Osuagwu
Air Peace Airlines has received membership certificate of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The membership of the global body will enable the airline sign codeshare and interline agreements with other global carriers.
The IATA membership for Air Peace comes a few months after it scaled the International Operations Safety Audit (IOSA), organised by IATA.
Speaking at the corporate headquarters of the airline at Ikeja, GRA, IATA’s West African regional manager, Dr. Samson Fatokun, said with admission of the airline into the global league, Air Peace can now participate in multi-lateral and bilateral agreements on international operations.
He said the airline can now benefit from training programmes organised by the global body, which include participation in the Billing Settlement Plan (BSP) as well as other safety endorsements.
Fatokun said Air Peace has worked assidiously to be listed among over 300 airlines across the globe and granted IATA membership.
Speaking after receiving the certificate from IATA, Air Peace Chairman, Allen Onyema, descibed the airline’s admission into the global league as a challenge that would spur it to do more.
Onyema said the IATA membership would enable Air Peace consolidate its plans to fly into nine West African countries to be unveiled soon.
He said that the airline had secured codeshare and interline agreements with two legacy carriers to consolidate its plans to launch international flights next year.
Onyema said: “This IATA membership is a challenge for us. Air Peace will continue with the membership and will never short-change safety. In the last three years, we have become a household name.”
He disclosed that by middle of next month, the airline will deliver a new set of 11 aircraft that will be injected into the domestic operation and proposed international destinations.
Mr. Onyema added that Air Peace will fly into every continent of the world as plans are underway to increase the fleet to 48 aircraft from its present 24 and called on the global body to continue to create the enabling environment for airlines to compete, especially young airlines like Air Peace.
Applauding the Federal Government, he said: “I thank the government of President Muhammadu Buhari for giving us six destinations. And I will not disappoint them. With the IATA membership, most reputable airlines will be willing to partner us. We will represent creditably wherever we will fly into.”
While disclosing that plans are at advance stage to commence codeshare operations with two renowned carriers, he said its application to commence operations into Ghanzou in China, Dubai, Houston in Texas, London, India and others are receiving attention from the countries’ authorities.
Mr. Onyema also disclosed that following government’s intervention countries like Cameroun, Senegal, Liberia, Togo, Ivory Coast, which hitherto had refused to allow it operate into their countries, have written them to begin the processes of flying into their aerodrome.
“Air Peace has been permitted to fly into Cameroun after two and half years, same for Sierra Leone, Liberia, though they gave us 60 days, Togo, the first country that stopped us wrote a letter of apology and has given us the permit, the same with Côte d’Ivoire. The other areas we are facing some challenges are charges and our government is looking into it”, he said.
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