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The Chinese community in Nigeria congratulating Air Peace on the inaugural flight ceremony from Lagos to Guangzhou, China at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos on Wednesday. Photo Lamidi Bamidele
By Prince Okafor
Barely eight years into commercial operation of aircraft in Nigeria, Air Peace has expanded its network to Asia with the commencement of a direct one-weekly flight to Guangzhou, China.
Vanguard gathered that a total of 240 passengers were carried out from Lagos directly to China through its Boeing 777 aircraft.
The company also noted that plans are underway to connect Beijing, Shanghai, others from Nigeria, utilising interline arrangement with Asian airline.
Speaking during the inaugural flight ceremony in Lagos, Air Peace Chief Operating Officer, Oluwatoyin Olajide, stated that the company had envisaged an airline that would predominantly create massive employment for Nigerians and reduce the burden of air travel for Nigerians, and by extension, Africans, through the provision of affordable and peaceful connectivity across cities and continents.
She said: “Now, we can confidently assert that Air Peace has kept to this vision of providing seamless connections and expanding existing network to accommodate the evolving air travel needs of the flying public. Today, we’re officially adding the continent of Asia to our network of continents, with the commencement of initial one-weekly flight to Guangzhou-China.
“If you’ve been following the growth of Air Peace, you’ll be familiar with the fact that the Chinese airspace is not new to us, as we’ve successfully operated several evacuation/special flights to the country at different times in the past, especially in 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“So, we’re going into China, not as newcomers, but as an airline that is technically and operationally acclimatised with the Chinese terrain. The flying public, especially those that fly the Guangzhou route, should expect best-in-class flight experience, which is characteristic of the Air Peace brand.
“We are not stopping with Guangzhou- India is next and Israel is in the works. Also planned for subsequent launch are Malabo in Equatorial Guinea and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“We will continue to grow our route network as well as modernise our fleet strategically. Air Peace currently boasts of a network of twenty domestic routes, seven regional routes and two international destinations, including Dubai and Johannesburg.
“As we kick off the Guangzhou route today, we must appreciate the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, the Ministry of Aviation, the Chinese government, our partners, and other stakeholders for making this possible. We promise to work harmoniously with all relevant aviation actors to ensure this new route is maximised.”
