Air Peace has refuted a complaint lodged with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority that it disrespected the Emir of Kano, by delaying one of its flig
Air Peace has refuted a complaint lodged with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority that it disrespected the Emir of Kano, by delaying one of its flights for the monarch and eight other members of his entourage.
In a statement signed by the Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace, Mrs Toyin Olajide, the airline company denied the allegation by Prince Isa Bayero that it disrespected the highly revered Emir, stating that it “did everything to protect the name and image of the Emir from ridicule by not succumbing to what Isa Bayero wanted us to do.”
Olajide said that the decision not to wait for the Emir and his team stemmed from the lack of feasibility of halting a fully boarded aircraft while the monarch was still in the international wing of the airport, and yet to pass through the logistical hoops of boarding at the local terminal.
The statement reads in part: “Our attention has been drawn to a letter of complaint written by Prince Isa Bayero to DG of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority against Air Peace, which is published in the public domain.”
“In the said letter, Isa Bayero alleged that Air Peace disrespected the Emir of Kano and the people of Kano for not delaying our 6.15am flight to Kano for the Emir!
“Rather than disrespect the revered Emir of Kano, Air Peace did everything to protect the name and image of the emir from ridicule by not succumbing to what Isa Bayero wanted us to do.
“If we had agreed to stop and delay an aircraft, already set to take-off, for another one hour only for the doors to be opened and the Emir to walk in, there would have been a very serious uproar in the media nationwide against both the airline and the Emir. This we pleaded with Isa Bayero to understand but he refused to accept.
“How could Isa Bayero want the Management of Air Peace to stop and delay a fully boarded plane with doors already shut and aircraft already moving while our respected Emir and eight others in his entourage, including Isa Bayero, were still at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos after arriving from Banjul?”
The statement further detailed the communications between Bayero and the CEO of the company, Allen Onyema, noting that upon receiving the Emir’s call, the CEO had made a few phone calls to ascertain if the situation could be salvaged, but came to the unfortunate conclusion that it was not feasible to halt a fully boarded aircraft that was already taxiing out for the respected monarch.
Olajide said she had made a consolation offer to the Emir’s team to put him (the Emir) in the airline’s 7am Abuja flight that would then transfer him to a Kano flight upon arrival at Abuja, at no cost, only to have this offer turned down.
