Nigeria’s leading carrier, Air Peace, has been approved to operate five new international routes, marking another milestone in the growth of the country’s aviation sector.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), disclosed this at the groundbreaking ceremony of Air Peace’s maintenance hangar at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
Keyamo said the airline had received clearance to commence flights to Italy, Canada, Paris, and Istanbul, in addition to its already expanding network. He noted that the development would boost Nigeria’s share of international air travel, which is still dominated by foreign airlines.
“I have approved four international routes (Italy, Canada, Paris and Istanbul) for Air Peace,” Keyamo said, expressing hope that local airlines would begin to capture a larger share of the international travel market.
The minister also revealed that Nigeria would, for the first time in nearly two decades, take delivery of dry lease aircraft on October 6 through Air Peace. He explained that the feat was possible after Nigeria was removed from the global blacklist following the implementation of the Cape Town Convention.
“This is the first time we are going to have a dry lease. Dry lease means that confidence has returned to the Nigerian ecosystem. They are giving you your plane. Control it yourself. I wrote a personal guarantee for Air Peace to get that dry lease. I put my life and my reputation on the line,” he said.
According to Keyamo, Nigerian airlines have relied on wet leases for the past 20 years, a practice that pushed up ticket prices, maintenance costs, and other overheads for consumers.
Speaking on Air Peace’s planned Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Lagos, the minister described it as a game changer that would save billions of naira in foreign exchange currently spent on overseas aircraft maintenance.
“What this is going to save in terms of FX to this country is incredible. Air Peace alone spends about N180 billion yearly for maintenance, imagine what other airlines are spending,” he said.
Keyamo added that the MRO would be the first of its kind in West and Central Africa capable of handling wide-bodied aircraft. He also confirmed that Embraer would partner with Air Peace to provide technical support for the facility, following President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Brazil.
The minister called on Nigerian banks to support the aviation industry by financing aircraft acquisition and operations, stressing that no sector could thrive without financial backing.
With the new international routes and the landmark delivery of dry lease aircraft, Keyamo said the Federal Government was committed to ensuring local carriers like Air Peace compete favourably on the global stage.
NAN
