BARELY one year of commercial flight operations in Nigeria, Air Peace Airline has announced its intention to commence commercial flight operations to no fewer than five countries in the West African sub-region.

The Chairman of the airline, Mr. Allen Onyema, who unveiled the plan to commence flight operations to the countries in African West Coast, said his company had already obtained license to operate into the countries.

According to him, Air Peace will soon begin to fly into Niger, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Gabon, Senegal and Cameron, from Nigeria.

Onyema said it was the first time in Nigeria for an airline to record such achievement, adding that his company’s application for the license was approved because of its operational strength and capacity based on safety and zero tolerance for wrong doing.

“ The Federal Government has given us permission to fly out of the country on commercial basis. I don’t think any other airline in this country got that approval to move out of the country in less than one year of operation. But we got it because we have proven our methods. Air Peace might be one year old, we make sure the best pilots are flying our aircrafts, we make sure things are done the way they are supposed to be done. We have that expansion policy insight. In the coming months, we will start hitting the African nations.”

He also announced plans by the airline to expand operations to Asia and Europe. “They have given us permission to go to Niger, Cote D’ivoire, Gabon, Ghana Senegal and Cameroon. On the long term, we are looking at Europe and Asia and we believe that when the time comes, they should allow us.”

The chairman said the airline had airlifted 500,000 passengers to different locations within the country in the last 11 months, saying the figure was remarkable.

“In the last 11 months, we have airlifted over half a million passengers with five out of seven aircraft, and that is very remarkable. Within the same period, Air Peace was called upon to undertake the development of a new route, that is Kebbi International airport. It has never happened to a new airline before in this country. It is because we have shown strength, capacity, and zeal towards doing things right,” he said.