Chairman of AirPeace Allen Onyema has threatened to sue FAAN for disrupting their flights for hours which led to loss of millions of Naira.
Air Peace was alleged delayed due to debt owed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN for the use of the airport.
However, investigations revealed that the aircraft 5N-BQR from Enugu to Lagos was delayed for forty minutes and not for hours as alleged by the chairman of the airline in some reports during the week.
The aircraft scheduled to take off 7:15 am took off 7:58 am from Enugu.
It was also discovered that the airline has not paid the N5 million remita as it claimed to have made to reduce its debt, while another pile up has started running from May 2017 till date.
According to sources, Air Peace got last demand notice May 26, 2017 from the authorities, after previous two notices from FAAN to settle its debt of N5 million; while another N3 million has also been accumulated.
Commenting on the development, Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu Secretary General of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP) who said he has been following the development, said the airport manager Orjiakor Mgbemene should be commended for his brave actions in a bid to ensure that airlines paid their debts.
Saidu explained that it has been the character of these airlines to be running personal business at the expense of the government “Why must this airline be accumulating debts, to the extent they accumulated Passengers Services Charge. The debts that Belleview, Chanchangi and others owed before they went under who paid? ”
Saidu noted that it was as a result of accumulation of debts that made former aviation Minister Fidelia Njeze introduced pay as you go to recover airlines debts.
The ANAP scribe declared, “You must have to pay for the services rendered if you are in business. Actions and steps taken by the airport manager, Enugu is quite supportive, quite commendable and we welcome it. Let Air Peace go and settle its debts fully”
“ANAP as professionals will ensure that airlines are paying and do not accumulate debts. If any airline is not ready for business, it should leave the business. You don’t short change the government because government of today is for accountability”
He explained that Air Peace for about three times could not land at the Enugu airport because of violation of the 7pm deadline. “Why violating the rule and you think you can blackmail professionals for doing their job when you know the rules of the game”
“ANAP wants all other airport managers to emulate the Enugu Airport manager in order to keep their salaries coming because it’s the money generated that will be used”
According to investigation, the purported debt paid was N2 million out of the N7 million debt which has not reflected in the finance records of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) as at today.
