Chinelo Obogo
 
 
The Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji has warned that any attempt to use foreign airline to evacuate stranded Nigerians from Canada would not be condoned by the House. 
 
Reacting to the refusal of the Canadian government to grant Air Peace landing permit for the evacuation of Nigerians in Canada, Nnaji said the position of the House of Representatives is very clear on the issue of evacuation flights.
He explained that the House in adopting the motion on the use of foreign airlines for evacuation of stranded Nigerians in other countries,Tuesday, May 12, 2020 had urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Aviation,the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and the Presidential Task Force, (PTF) on COVID-19 as well as all relevant Ministerial Departments and Agencies, (MDAs) to ensure that Nigerian airlines enjoy the right of first refusal in all circumstances where Nigerians need to be evacuated from other countries.
 
Nnaji insisted that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Aviation and the COVID-19 task force must explore all available diplomatic channels to ensure that a Nigerian airline operate the evacuation flight out of Canada.
 
 
The Aviation Committee chairman said that Canadian authorities have no reason to deny Air Peace landing rights since available records had shown that the airline has the requite certification and approvals to operate internationally. He said the airline is International Air Transport Association’s Safety Oversight Audit, (IOSA) certified which is a major international parameter for measuring airlines’  safety standards.
 
The committee then summoned the COVID-19 taskforce, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Aviation and agencies directly or indirectly involved in the earlier evacuation flights handled by the British Airways, Emirates and Ethopian Airlines from the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and America to appear before it on Thursday, May 28, 2020.
 
 
Despite insisting that domestic airlines would carry out evacuation operations, Daily Sun reported thathe Federal Government  bowed to pressure from the Canadian government to drop Air Peace from carrying out the evacuation of Nigerians in Canada who wish to return over the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The government also promised the stranded Nigerians that it would make necessary refunds to the affected Nigerians based on the agreement clause between it and the Nigerians who had wanted to return to the country with Air Peace.
 
Last week, Daily Sun reported that the Canadian government refused to grant Air Peace landing permit and its High Commission in Nigeria caused the delay in evacuation of Nigerians which was supposed to take place last Thursday.  
 
Air Peace was to evacuate  Canadians who are stranded in Nigeria back to Canada and bring back Nigerian citizens from Canada on its return leg. This arrangement by the FG was refused by the Canadian commission which had already engaged Ethiopian Airlines to evacuate its citizens from Nigeria, while Nigerians in Canada would be brought back into the country on the return leg by the East African carrier.
 
A source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Canadian High Commission insisted that Ethiopian Airlines should do the evacuation because it was evacuating their citizens from other African countries despite the fact that Air Peace cost less.
 
A document obtained from the Canada High Commission two weeks ago, directed that passengers should pay $2, 500 to Ethiopian Airlines; while Air Peace charged $1, 134 for the same flight.
 
But despite a statement from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, saying that only domestic airlines will evacuate Nigerians abroad,      
a letter from the Nigeria High Commission in Nigeria, dated May 20, 2020 with the reference number: NHC/OTT/ADM.56/I with the head: Update on the Flight Postponement,’ indicates  that the government has bowed to pressure from the Canadian government by opting out of the Air Peace arrangement  due to ‘safety concerns’.
 
The government in the letter agreed that Air Peace airfare was the most convenient and cost effective of all the airlines contacted for the airlift of Nigerians back to the country, but the concern of Canadian Government compelled it to cancel the agreement with the airline.
 
The letter read in part: “The mission, therefore, engaged a number of airlines and eventually came up with an arrangement and pricing structure with Air Peace, which no other airline was able to match. You will recall that in our Public Notice of 12th May 2020, the High Commission announced that the Canadian government had expressed reservations concerning the granting of the necessary clearance/landing permit to Air Peace to fly into Canada, due to safety concerns.”
 
“Kindly be informed that after protracted engagement, the Canadian Government, has unfortunately reverted with what appears to be a final refusal. As a result, the Air Peace Limited arrangement is hereby cancelled.
 
“During the negotiations with Air Peace Limited, the issue of refunds was addressed in the event that the flight did not hold die to unforeseen circumstances and as such, everyone will get refunds for their tickets, from Air Peace Limited as agreed.
 
“In the meantime, the Nigeria High Commission is working assiduously to secure an alternative arrangement to get you home as soon as possible, safely and at the least cost, further updates would be communicated in due course.”
 
In a notice to the evacuees, Air Peace admitted that there were arrangements to evacuate Nigerians but that the Canadian government refused to give it landing permit. The airline said it will refund money paid as fare and will also bear the cost of the bank charges. 
 
In a related development,  more Britons are set to return home from Nigeria on three flights chartered by the UK government.  
More than 1,700 British travellers have already returned to the UK on special charter flights in April and May – from Lagos and Abuja. 
 
 A UK organised special internal charter flight will travel from Port Harcourt to Abuja on Saturday 6 June to enable British nationals based in, or near, Port Harcourt to join the 6 June flight from Abuja to London.  
 
Details of the new flights are: Friday, May 29,  Lagos to London, Monday June 1, Lagos to London and Saturday, June 6, Abuja to London.