By Chinelo Obogo
The Director-General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, has described the acquisition of brand new aircraft by Air Peace as a milestone in Nigeria’s aviation industry, noting that what is happening in the industry is a paradigm shift.
Nuhu stated this at a recent ceremony at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to mark the delivery of the airline’s third brand new E195-E2 aircraft out of 13 on firm order.
Lauding the Air Peace Chairman, Allen Onyema, Nuhu said that the beauty of the aircraft delivery is not just because it is new but that the airline picked the right kind of aircraft befitting the market.
“This is a paradigm shift and is something that I have not seen since my days at Nigerian Airways when they were purchasing the right aircraft for the right routes. Air Peace is not only buying aircraft, but also buying the right-size aircraft for the Nigerian market.
“The Embraer aircraft is the right aircraft; it breaks even with low passenger figures; your maintenance and operational cost is low. Another factor is that the new aircraft is absolutely great for the environment; it does less pollution. I am really proud that I am DG when this paradigm shift is happening.
“We are all here to work together to grow the industry and we have to give kudos to the entrepreneurs, as without such people, all this will not be possible. We need entrepreneurs like Onyema,” Nuhu said.
Air Peace recently took delivery of its third brand new E195-E2 jet out of the 13 ordered from Embraer, with five more to be delivered before 2021 runs out.