The refusal by the Canadian authorities to issue Air Peace landing right to bring back Nigerians who are stranded in Canada has generated a lot of outrage. 319 passengers had already booked for the evacuation flight and the airline is expected to refund the passengers.
Meanwhile, the outrage has followed the development with stakeholders like the House of Representatives criticising the decision to use Ethiopian Airlines to eavcuate the stranded Nigerians.
It should be recalled that the Federal Government had chosen Air Peace, the biggest indigenous carrier in Nigeria, to evacuate stranded Nigerians in Canada, but plan was stalled owing the refusal of the Canadian authorities to grant Air Peace permit. The Canadian authorities cited safety concerns as part of the reasons for refusing the airline landing permit.
Not less than 319 passengers had made payment for the trip but it later came to light that the Canada High Commission in Nigeria made another arrangement with Ethiopian Airlines whereas the federal government through the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, Geoffrey Onyeama and Senator Hadi Sirika insisted that the chosen Nigerian carrier must airlift the stranded Nigerians,
The Canadian government however denied Air Peace the right to airlift Nigerians from the country. The denial was confirmed in a letter by the Nigerian High Commission in Canada dated May 20, 2020, with reference number NHS/OTT/ADM.56/1 titled: Update on the Flight postponement.
In the letter, it was confirmed that Air Peace offered the best pricing that was unmatched by any other airline but regretted that “after protracted engagement, the Canadian government has unfortunately reverted with what appears to be a final refusal. As a result, the Air Peace arrangement is cancelled.”
Air Peace is charged USD$1,134 per passenger while the sum of USD$2,500 charged by the Ethiopian Airline. According to the letter, “During the negotiation with Air Peace, the issue of refunds was addressed in the event that the flight did not hold due to unforeseen circumstances and as such, everyone will get refunds for their tickets from Air peace as agreed.
“In the meantime, the Nigerian High Commission is working assiduously to secure an alternative arrangement to get you home as soon as possible, safely and at the least cost possible. Further updates will be communicated in due course.”
Instead of Air Peace, it was gathered that Ethiopian Airline had been approached to carry out the evacuation flights while Air Peace would pay back the passengers money. The House of Representatives Committee on Aviation was irked by this development and has called the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Aviation and other agencies that are directly or indirectly involved in the earlier evacuation flights handled by the British Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Emirate from the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States of America to appear before it on May 28, 2020.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji, questioned the continuous refusal by the Canadian government to grant Air Peace right to evacuate stranded Nigerians. Also, the Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ART) has shown displeasure at the stalled Air Peace Airline evacuation flight for Nigerians that are stranded in Canada.
