CIVIL SOCIETY COUNCIL SOLICITS TAX HOLIDAY FOR AIRPEACE
…….says Air Peace is a patriot and devoted nation builder
By Aluta News
April 10, 2024
The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN), in a recent Press Release, has reacted to the ongoing pricing competition among airline operators in Nigeria, orchestrated by the entry of an indigenous Airline, the Airpeace into the Lagos-London Route.
It would be recalled that the Airpeace had recently commenced international flight operations from Lagos to London at a highly reduced rate which has shockingly exposed the long years of exploitations of Nigerian travelers by foreign operators and bigger players, which has triggered a pricing war to outwit each other.
Before the launching of Air Peace to the Lagos/London route, foreign operators had, for decades, monopolized this high traffic and very profitable route, taking undue advantage of countless thousands of Nigerian travelers, subjecting them to pay costliest fares in Africa, while other countries pay much lower rates for same destination.
An operator such as Turkish airlines, charges for the economy class ticket for the Lagos-Istanbul route rose up to N874,661 while the business class ticket jumped to N1,980,876. Nigerian travellers experienced same with other foreign operators such as British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, KLM/Air France, Air Maroc and Ethiopian Airlines.
Before the foreign operators conspired to increase fares, the economy class tickets on the Nigeria-UK route was between N400,000 and N650,000, depending on the booking period while business class was between N800,000 and N1.2 million.
The financial pressure the exorbitant fares inflicted on the Nigerian travelers became so unbearable that those who could not afford it were forced to suspend international trips while some like students shifted their patronage to the neighboring countries where low inventory fares were available.
Relief, however, came with the commencement of AirPeace flights to London. Immediately Air Peace announced its fares which have been found far much affordable for Nigerians, the foreign carriers, out of fears of losing their Nigerian passengers to Air Peace, have engaged in price wars for survival.
NCSCN discovered that majority of the foreign operators on the Lagos/London destination have now drastically slash fares to the point of charging lower than the Air Peace, just to run this patriotic indigenous operator out of business, and thereafter return to the price hike regime.
In addition to travellers incentives and aggressive marketing strategies, the foreign airlines are now into dangerous battles for market share that is capable of throwing smaller operatirs out of business, while negatively affecting their profit margins, and all these are aimed particularly to jeopardising the existence of Air Peace.
In the Press Text of the Civil Society Council, the Executive Director, Blessing A. Akinlosotu pointed out the numerous interventions of the Air Peace for Nigerians at various times of national emergencies and distresses, describing the Air Peace as the most patriotic and progress Airline Operator in Nigeria.
Many Airlines are today forced to lure passengers to book an economy class seat on the Lagos/London route with N907,782 fares as against the over N2 million for the economy they charged before now, British Airways has been forced to slashed its fares on the Abuja/London Heathrow to N1,394,536 as against the over N3 million it was formerly charging. Now, an economy class ticket on Virgin Atlantic from Lagos to London has been brought down to N980, 654,000 as against the N2.353,200 it used to charge.
The Civil Society Council Boss said the Organisation was set to swing into action nationwide to frustrate the gang up by the foreign operators to push Air Peace out of the Lagos/London route, calling on the Federal Government and all Nigerians to see this as a national challenge on our Economy.
“The Federal Government and all well-meaning Nigerians must rise up to save our most patriotic and progressive indigenous operator, the Air Peace from this international Aero-politics by foreign airlines who are seriously threatened by the rising profile and business strategies of a Nigerian Operator with impressive global records of flight operations between Nigeria and other countries like China, UAE, Israel Brazil and South Africa during the pandemic seamlessly” Akinlosotu stated.
“Air Peace has really exposed the foreign operators, just like GLO Nigeria did to the foreign Telecom Providers. Who would have imagined the possibility of all foreign operators to come down so low in pricing if not for the entrance and intervention of the Air Peace”. Akinlosotu continued
“Air Peace must be protected, rewarded, and honoured for this patriotic gesture. The Civil Society Council hereby calls on all Nigerians to patronise Air Peace irrespective of the deceptive lower pricing of the foreign conspirators, as this will save our Naira and further grow our National Economy. All the foreign operators repatriate their profits and funds to home countries, but Air Peace is indigenous and reinvents profits here in Nigeria to the advantage of the Naira. The Council,therefore, appeals passionately to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as an accomplished Businessman himself, to help the Air Peace by granting a waiver of One Year Tax Holiday, which would go a very long way in keeping this patriotic indigenous operator afloat, against the foreign unslought. The foreignconspiracymust not be allowed to prevail over Nigeria”. He concluded.
The NCSCN Boss said the Council had already mapped out plans and actionable strategies to mobilize Nigerians and other well-meaning nationale in favour of Air Peace in this ongoing pricing warfare, within this month of April.