In order to clear the misconception that its Banjul-Lagos flight, which brought in the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero and his entourage to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, last week and has become a subject of controvery, Air Peace has said that the flight was never a connecting one.
The airline was dispelling the misconception about the trip, but added that it regretted the inconvenience caused to passengers on board the flight, who could not meet up travel time to other destinations.
The airline said this in a statement signed by its management and released on Sunday night.
The flight had caused issues between the airline operator and the Emir of Kano, who missed another flight from Lagos-Kano by the same operator.
The monarch’s cousin, Isa Bayero, had written a letter of complaint to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, asking the regulatory body to take action against the airline for allegedly disrespecting the Emir and the people of Kano.
The younger Bayero said that the airline turned down his request to delay the Lagos-Kano scheduled flight after they were ‘delayed’ by the same carrier on a flight from Banjul, Gambia, to Lagos.
But dent ng the allegation, Air Peace said that the decision not to stop na aircraft that was already air bound was an effort to protect the emir’s image.
Bayero then issued an ultimatum to Air Peace to apologise to the Emir.
In the statement, the airline explained that the Banjul-Lagos flight that the Emir boarded was not a connecting flight.
Accordingly, this implies that the flight had no connection to the Lagos-Kano scheduled flight, which the Emir was unable to board.
The statement said, “Based on misconceptions in some media that our Banjul-Lagos flight of February 24, 2022, which had the Emir of Kano on board was a connecting flight, we wish to clarify that it was never a connecting flight.
“That regional flight was a totally different flight that terminated in Lagos and had no connection with any other destination, hence the airline would never have known the next destinations of its passengers.
“However, we regret the inconvenience incurred by our esteemed passengers, who could not travel to the next destinations as they had wanted.
“It is important we set the records straight.”
