The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN), has solicited one-year tax waivers for Air Peace, amidst a pricing war among the airline operators.
The NCSCN made the appeal in a statement while reacting to the ongoing pricing competition among airline operators in Nigeria, orchestrated by the entry of an indigenous Airline, Air Peace into the Lagos-London Route.
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 a year tax holiday, which would go a very long way in keeping this patriotic indigenous operator afloat, against the foreign onslaught and the foreign conspiracy must not be allowed to prevail over Nigeria
The NCSCN also said the Council had already mapped out plans and actionable strategies to mobilise Nigerians and other well-meaning nationals in favour of Air Peace in this ongoing pricing warfare, within this month of April.
The statement which was signed by NCSCN Executive Director, Blessing Akinlosotu, also pointed out the numerous interventions of Air Peace for Nigerians at various times of national emergencies and distress, describing Air Peace as the most patriotic and progressive Airline Operator in Nigeria.
“It would be recalled that Air Peace 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 travellers 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 travellers, subjecting them to pay costliest fares in Africa, while other countries pay much lower rates for the 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 the 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 of exorbitant fares inflicted on the Nigerian travellers 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 neighbouring countries where low inventory fares were available.
“Relief, however, came with the commencement of Air Peace flights to London. Immediately Air Peace announced its fares which have been found far more 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 the majority of the foreign operators on the Lagos/London destination have now drastically slashed 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, foreign airlines are now in dangerous battles for market share that is capable of throwing smaller operators out of business, while negatively affecting their profit margins, and all these are aimed particularly at jeopardising the existence of Air Peace.
“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 slash 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.
“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 coming down so low in pricing if not for the entrance and intervention of the Air Peace.
“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 their home countries, but Air Peace is indigenous and reinvents profits here in Nigeria to the advantage of the naira,” Akinlosotu stated.
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