Air Peace launches non-stop service between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia

Air Peace, the biggest airline in West and Central Africa, has started flying directly to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as part of its expansion in Asia.

The Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, praised the airline for its achievements.

The first flight, using one of the airline’s B777s, took off from Kano at 23:22 hrs. with 231 passengers.

Air Peace had been doing charter flights to Saudi Arabia, taking Muslim pilgrims. But this first flight officially began its regular operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Chairman of Air Peace, Dr. Allen Onyema, said this was ‘another milestone in the history of Nigeria’s aviation industry’. He said Jeddah was the airline’s sixth international destination in nine years of commercial flight operations.

He said Air Peace had increased its presence in Asia.

“This is a big achievement, not only for Air Peace but for Nigeria. We are showing our ambition of connecting Nigeria to the world with high-quality flight services.

“Air Peace is on a mission to make air travel easier for Nigerians and fill the gaps in connectivity that existed before.

“We are happy to be a means of strengthening the relationship between Nigeria and other countries in the world,” Onyema said.

He said Nigeria and Saudi Arabia had a good relationship, with religious tourism being a key factor. He said that with the start of direct flights to Jeddah, the airline hoped to improve the ties between both countries, boost their economies, and promote mutual development.

The airline boss thanked the Emir of Kano, who helped the airline during its recent 9th anniversary. He called the Emir a bridge-builder and applauded him for his contributions to nation-building. He said the nation needed more people like him.

He also thanked the Saudi Arabian authorities, travel partners, and the Nigerian government for making the launch possible. He said Air Peace was upgrading and adding to its fleet. It signed an order for five new E175 aircraft in September, in addition to the existing orders for 15 Boeing MAX aircraft. He said this was to give its customers an unmatched experience on board.

The Emir congratulated Air Peace for the Jeddah launch and praised the airline for being a leader in Nigeria’s aviation industry. He also commended Onyema for the impact he was making in Nigeria through Air Peace.