Nigerian airline Air Peace’s fares along the Lagos-London route has sparked competition among foreign airlines.
Air Peace started operations along the lucrative route on March 30, pegging its price for a round trip at N1.2 million, a trip foreign airlines had charged as high as N3 million.
Some foreign airlines, in a bid to compete with Air Peace, have dropped their rates to an average of N1.4 million.
EgyptAir has dropped its Lagos-London economy ticket price further to ($470) N585,620. Air Peace London to Lagos now goes for ($655) N816,130, British Airways goes for ($787.99) N981,848, Virgin Atlantic ($927.99) N1 million, and Royal Air Moroc ($456.99) N569,422.
RwandAir has pegged airfare to ($545.35) N679,070, Ethiopian Air ($543.84) N677, 824, Turkish Airlines ($647.84) N807, 408, Air France London ($915.99) N1.1 million, while KLM pegged its price to ($927.84) N1.1 million.
The Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, “If they take out Air Peace prematurely, this country will pay dearly for it, 10 times over; billions will be lost, (and) there will be another heavy strain on the naira.”
“We are being deliberately frustrated in all ways.
“It’s a very devilish conspiracy. All of a sudden, (foreign) airlines are under-pricing, below the cost, it’s not up to one month, an airline was advertising $100, another one $305, $350. Fill up the entire aircraft and carry people on the wings, it’s not even enough to buy your fuel. So, why are they doing that? Their governments are supporting them because Nigeria has been a cash cow for everybody.
“Their governments are supporting them to do this and take Air Peace out. The idea is to take Air Peace out and the moment they succeed in taking Air Peace out, Nigerians will pay 20 times over again.”
