South Africa grants Air Peace approval to operate to Jo’burg

By Samson Echenim

Nigeria’s largest carrier, Air Peace, has got approval from South African government to fly into Johannesburg on regular schedule, weeks after the airline helped to evacuate over 630 Nigerian citizens from South Africa.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed Monday that the South African government had granted Nigerian carrier Air Peace the approval to commence flight operations to Johannesburg.

Ministry spokesman, Ferdinand Nwonye, said Allen Onyema, chairman of Air Peace, confirmed that the airline would commence flight operations as soon as possible to promote air transportation between Nigeria and South Africa.

The agreement according to the ministry was signed at the 9th session of the Nigeria/South Africa Bi-national Commission Summit in Pretoria on September 27.

The joint commission was established in 1999 to encourage bilateral relations between the two countries.

Recalled that the commission was upgraded in 2001 to highlight the strategic nature of the partnership.

Air Peace has been positively in the news lately following the evacuation of Nigerians who were stranded in South Africa as a result of the xenophobic attack in South Africa, a gesture Nigerians have described as patriotic and exemplary.