Why it is more expensive to fly to some African countries than the UK – Air Peace boss, Onyeama

THE Chairman of Air Peace Limited, Allen Onyema, has explained why it is cheaper to fly to the United Kingdom than some African countries like Gabon, Niger, Togo and Cote D Ivoire.

In an interview with a television crew last week, the Air Peace chairman explained that some African nations like Togo and Ivory Coast charge Nigerian airlines up to $10,000 to land, even when they do not face similar actions in Nigeria.

According to Onyema, the attitude of these African nations contravenes the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) treaty, to which they (nation) have actually acceded to freely give access to member states.

“When I applied to Ivory Coast, I was frustrated. Togo said her space will not be open to us because they want to protect their airlines. That did not change until I decided to go to court to stop an airline coming from that place.

“When they give you this permit, the type of charges they slam on you is exorbitant. It is like asking us to pay about $10,000 each time we land in the nations. How many people do we have on board to make such payments? But the Federal Government is doing something about it now,” Onyema explained.

He stated further that presently 34 countries have signed up to the SAATM representing over 80% of the existing aviation market in Africa.

The countries which have so far signed the treaty are Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea (Bissau), Guinée, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sénégal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tchad, Togo, Zimbabwe.