Air Peace airline has deepened its fleet capacity with the arrival of a Boeing737 aircraft from C-check maintenance in Israel. The addition is coming just as the entire workforce received an upward review of their salary.
Similarly, the airline is set to receive the third brand new Embraer 195-E2 aircraft next week as part of its preparation for regional and international operations.
The Boeing737 airplane, with registration number 5N-BQU, is the fourth aircraft to return from overseas maintenance checks lately, among the number stranded abroad due to pandemic disruptions.
The airline stated that as more aircraft return from maintenance, it would resume suspended routes gradually and increase frequencies to selected destinations.
The airline also hinted that two new E195-E2 aircraft, brought in January and March, were undergoing demo flights and would soon be due for scheduled operations.
Chairman of the airline, Allen Onyema, who was recently commended by workers over pay rise, said the upward review was in line with the aim of serving the nation and humanity.
“I established Air Peace to create jobs and help my countrymen and women. The airline is not for me. I am looking forward to a Nigerian airline where the workers in the generations to come will be able to say ‘my great, great grandfather worked in Air Peace, my grandfather worked in Air Peace, my own father worked in Air Peace, here I am working for Air Peace’.
“So, it is the legacy that matters to me. I looked at the hardship around and everything and I decided that whatever little we have, let us push it back to the staff. It is very difficult now, we have about 20 planes stranded abroad, depleting our capacity to do what we know how to do best.
“Before COVID-19 pandemic, we were doing about 135 flights daily. Now we are doing about 40 to 45, yet I decided to recall all the staff. Not only recalling all staff, four months ago, I restated them to pre-COVID-19 salaries. And now, I decided that we should double their wages ranging from 10 per cent to 100 per cent. Some people got a 100 per cent increase, some others 80 per cent, depending on where the person’s grade is,” he said.
Cabin Services Manager, Florence Opiah, said staffers were most excited because it was not expected; coming at a time when some organisations were either furloughing workers or reducing pay.
