Air Peace, NCAA debunk fire rumours as CEO, Allen Onyema, reiterates commitment to safety and service excellence

Read the statement below...

In view of the false fire alarm at the Port Harcourt airport on Saturday, March 12, 2016, the Nigerian Civil Aviation authority and the management of Nigeria’s newest and fastest rising local airline, Air Peace have officially debunked rumors surrounding the incident.

Speaking on the false fire alarm incident, Allen Onyema, Chairman/CEO of Air Peace Ltd, said that despite the false fire alarm that was raised upon landing at the Port Harcourt airport, the plane’s crew acted professionally and executed its emergency evacuation procedure excellently and without incident only to discover that a false fire alarm had been raised. According to Onyema, “We remain committed as a matter of first priority, to the safety of our passengers, crew and equipment. To further prove the airworthiness of our fleet, the same aircraft was cleared to fly to Lagos on the same day after thorough checks had been conductedby the relevant aviation agencies and the alarm found to be false.The question here is that, if it was that of a faulty machine, would that have happened?  What our pilot did was precautionary even though it turned out to be a false fire alarm.”

Speaking anonymously to members of the press, a senior staff of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Agency (NCAA) at the Port Harcourt Airport commended the pilot and crew of the aircraft for their quick response and evacuation of passengers when the false fire alarm was raised. He further added that upon closer inspection by regulators, airline inspectors and the fire service, there was no sign of fire neither was anything found to be wrong with the aircraft. “The same aircraft was declared airworthy and made a trip to Lagos same day. The crew must be commended for their professionalism and response in following laid down procedures for such situations.”

Further explaining what transpired, Onyema said, "As the Captain was taxing to go and park at the apron after landing, the tower informed him that there was smoke from the under belly of the aircraft thereby making the pilot to deploy the slides and all six doors for the passengers to be evacuated. 
"The fire fighters who were called by the tower did not see any smoke nor fire, likewise passengers. The engineers, the NCAA and other agencies witnessed that there was no smoke nor fire. It was a false fire alarm that led to the entire situation, but Air Peace crew responded professionally in accordance with the books."
While harping on the need for caution on media reports, the Airline chief commented that It served no one any good to engage in sensational journalism without cross-checking facts. “We have proved to the world today that we are very capable of handling very efficiently emergency situations if they ever occur even though this one turned out to be a false alarm. We remain committed to our goal of being Nigeria’s Number 1 travel friendly airline with best-in-class equipment and well trained employees,” Onyema added.

Meanwhile, a brand communications expert, Tobi Ogra, has asked the FG to speed up the passing of necessary anti-competition and anti-trust laws. In her comments, the absence of these laws has been utilized by certain key players in various industries to bully high-flying upstarts through underhand de-marketing tactics. In her words, the failure of the government to provide an equitable and fair playing field for investors is bad for the economy and discourages new buisinesses.

Established in 2013, Air Peace has gradually cemented its position as Nigeria’s fastest rising and most travel friendly airline. The airline currently operates a range of modern aircraft with numerous flights to 7 cities across Nigeria.

www.flyairpeace.com

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