Managing Director/CEO of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema, has announced the establishment of a new subsidiary airline, Air Peace Hopper, in its effort to deepen air connectivity among some states not currently having access to air transportation.
Onyema said the new airline, Air Peace Hopper, would rely on the new generation 50-seater Embraer 145 jets for its operations.
Speaking at an event to receive one of the six Embraer jets at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, over the weekend, the Air Peace boss stated that, “under Air Peace Hopper, we hope to connect routes such as Benin-Port-Harcourt-Benin; Lagos-Warri-Port-Harcourt-Warri-Lagos; Abuja-Bauchi-Abuja; Lagos-Markurdi-Lagos; Enugu-Kano-Enugu; Lagos-Warri; and Abuja-Warri, among others,” said Onyema.
“We are currently pursuing a massive route expansion project. The birthing of the subsidiary is a milestone in the airline’s vision of uniting Nigeria through air connectivity and ending the travel nightmares of many unserved and underserved cities. This will not only open up and energise the economies of the different cities and states but also create massive job opportunities for the people,” he added. He said the setting up of Air Peace Hopper marks the first time a Nigerian airline would establish a subsidiary to manage an arm of its flight operations, following the tradition of some of the big carriers in the world.
Onyema said another of the six Embraer 145 jets recently acquired will arrive in Nigeria in less than a week, adding that the carrier was also expecting the delivery of the two Boeing 777 aircraft it recently procured.
“We remain focused in our determination to transform air travel in Nigeria, Africa and beyond. In three years, we have increased our fleet to a size of 24 aircraft,” said Onyema.