BETWEEN AIR PEACE AND OSHIOMHOLE

The Air Peace Airline has berated Senator Adams Oshiomhole over his unruly behaviour at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The serving senator was said to have disrupted flight operations after missing a 6:30 a.m. flight to Abuja, yesterday morning.

The Airline, in a statement, said: “The incident happened early yesterday morning when the politician arrived late for Flight P47120, which was scheduled to depart at 6:30 a.m. He arrived at 6:10 a.m. after boarding had already closed in line with Air Peace’s on-time departure policy.

“Upon being informed of the missed flight, the politician resorted to violence, physically assaulting our members of staff and forcefully barricading the terminal’s entrance. He went as far as sealing the entry gate and manning the access point, effectively obstructing other passengers from gaining entry into the terminal.”

“This unacceptable behaviour caused significant disruption to ongoing operations and affected numerous travellers scheduled for various flights. To minimise further inconvenience, Air Peace swiftly activated an operational contingency plan to board affected passengers through an alternate terminal, ensuring the continuity of their travel plans.”

“We are deeply saddened that such a high-profile figure displayed conduct so unbecoming and disruptive to fellow passengers and our personnel. Air Peace maintains a zero-tolerance stance on violence or any form of aggression against our members of staff and passengers.”

The Airline, however, urged passengers to remain civil and cooperative at all times saying that aviation operations are bound by strict timelines and safety protocols, and they remain committed to upholding these standards while delivering safe and timely services to the public.

Meanwhile, Oshiomhole has given insight into what transpired at the Airport Terminal 1, Zulu Hall.

He narrated how passengers, including himself, were prevented from boarding an Air Peace flight to Abuja despite having checked in online.

Oshiomhole, in his reaction after a video surfaced on social media showing him in a heated exchange with an airport official, said the commotion at the domestic terminal was sparked by Air Peace’s decision to prevent passengers from boarding while allegedly reselling seats at inflated prices to others on the spot.

“They delayed the flight for over five hours. In the end, they announced a cancellation. I had to get another ticket. Yesterday, I booked a flight for 6:30 a.m., which is their first flight today. I booked and asked them to check me in online, which I did, along with two other Ghanaians . We checked in online just to avoid the last-minute issues I’ve had with them a couple of times.

“I got there at about five minutes past six. They told me the counter was closed. I told them, ‘No, I’ve already checked in.’ I showed them the evidence of my online check-in. Even before then, they had asked if I had checked in, and I told them yes, and that I had no luggage. They looked at it but still said the gate had been closed. Meanwhile, I noticed they were still taking other people in.

“Meanwhile, the airline was selling tickets on the spot for between N200,000 and N300,000. To take advantage of the situation, they discouraged those who had bought tickets online at lower rates and sold to people willing to pay more,” Oshiomhole stated, among others.

AIR PEACE DEBUNKS OSHIOMOLE’S ALLEGATIONS OF EXTORTION

Our attention has been drawn to the deliberate falsehood being peddled by Senator Adams Oshiomole against Air Peace.

The Senator lied blatantly when he accused Air Peace of extorting its passengers. We challenge Senator Oshiomole to bring one evidence of a passenger that was extorted.

None of our staff ever extorted any passenger. In fact, no ticket was sold after the closure of check-in on that flight. Everyone who flew bought their ticket prior to the flight closure.

Again, our flight was never overbooked as some of his videos alleged. In fact, the aircraft took off with over thirty (30) empty seats. It would have been in our interest to carry Oshiomhole and those others who missed their flights for lateness on this flight, instead of flying many empty seats; but we will never sacrifice our strict on-time performance for monetary gains.

It’s absolutely false that he was offered preferential treatment and that he was fighting for others. Senator Oshiomole was not fighting for anyone. He came to the airport late and was told that he was late. He then began to forment trouble. He jumped on the baggage conveyor belt preventing the check-in process of other flights. He also barricaded the entrance gate and prevented access to the terminal. While he was doing all these, he also deliberately instigated other passengers against the Airline.

We call on the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to release the CCTV coverage starting from the time Senator Oshiomole entered the airport, for Nigerians to see. His accusation of extortion is very defamatory. His conduct was very violent, unbecoming, unfortunate and above all, shameful.

SIGNED
MANAGEMENT