Air Peace will create up to 17,000 jobs by 2023 when it completes delivery of 30 new Embraer jets, the chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Allen Onyema, has said.
Speaking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, on Thursday while receiving its third new Embraer 195-E2, from the Embraer Facility in Sao Jose Dos Campos.
Onyema said the airline has fully paid for 13 new aircraft and made purchase rights of an additional 17 more which will be activated by 2023.
He said there will be two coming in August to make it five and before the end of 2021, the airline will have eight new aircraft.
He said the new additions would hit the West Coast and African region as the airline will strengthen it further with the inclusion of other routes like Douala (Cameroon), Kinshasa (Congo), Niamey (Niger), Dakar (Senegal) as well as Freetown (Liberia).
“We hope to have all the 13 aircraft we paid for in 2022. We have paid for the 13 aircraft and made a purchase right of an additional 17. We now have three with the arrival of the latest one. There will be two coming in August to make it five and before the end of 2021, we will have eight aircraft. We hope to have all the 13 aircraft we paid for in 2022.
“In addition to the firm’s orders of 13 aircraft, which we would have received before the end of 2022, we would make a further commitment of 10 additional aircraft and by the time we have 30 aircraft, we would employ about 17,000 personnel.
“We have new routes that we have just opened and more routes will still come in the coming months. We are opening Gombe very soon and our intention is to open up this country. We will also connect North East with North West and other routes. Owerri-Kaduna and other routes will be connected.
“We have been designated to so many destinations by the government. We have over 20 destinations, which is very commendable,” he said.
Onyema also said that the airline is planning to commence the Lagos-London route, stressing that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is assisting the airline to fast-track the process.
