Date: 2021-01-27

Nigeria's top carrier, Air Peace, has announced the launch of new domestic routes and resumption of suspended ones.

In a statement Monday, the airline's Chief Operating Officer, Oluwatoyin Olajide, said the airline would be receiving all its aircraft on overseas maintenance in February, hence the decision to launch the new routes as well as reactivate suspended ones.

The airline has taken steps to reposition after the 2020 hit on the global travel industry caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

In August 2020, the carrier agreed to re-employ pilots fired earlier that month, after the intervention of the aviation minister, Hadi Sirika.

The airline fired 69 pilots and cut pay by as much as 40 per cent in a bid to cushion the impact of the pandemic.

Mrs Olajide said, according to the News Agency of Nigeria, that the planned launch of the new routes was an effort to underscore the airline's "strong resolve to meet the air transportation needs of Nigerians, as well as to drive economic development and foster unity amongst various parts of the country."

"As you know, most of our aircraft are on maintenance in different parts of the world but they are all returning in February. For us, it is great news as this means the launch of new routes and the resumption of routes suspended consequent upon the COVID-19 outbreak," she said.

Mrs Olajide emphasised that the new connections were also a testimony to Air Peace's 'no-city-left-behind' initiative and unbridled determination to provide affordable access to safe and seamless connectivity across Nigeria and beyond.

She said the airline was constantly reviewing its route network, to reflect the air travel needs of the flying public. It currently operates 16 domestic routes, five regional routes and two international destinations, one of which is South Africa, launched in December 2020.

"The airline also boasts of a fleet size of 26 aircraft and is steadily expanding its fleet as it expects to take delivery of its first Embraer 195-E2 aircraft this month," she said.

"The new routes to be launched in February are: Enugu-Kano-Enugu, Enugu-Asaba-Enugu, PHC-Kano-PHC, PHC-Kaduna-PHC, Ilorin-Lagos-Ilorin, Ilorin-Abuja-Ilorin and Ibadan-Abuja-Ibadan.

"The suspended routes to be resumed are Kano-Owerri-Kano, Kano-Asaba-Kano, Lagos-Yola-Lagos and Abuja-Yola-Abuja," she added.

(NAN)