The management of Air Peace has expressed gratitude to the governments and people of Israel, China and India for contracting the airline to evacuate their citizens to their countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chairman of Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyeama, made the gratitude in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday.
TBI Africa reports that the airline disclosed that it had recorded historic feat as it evacuated 312 Indian citizens from Nigeria back to their country in a 10-hours non-stop flight.
The flight, which departed on Sunday from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos, was operated with a B777 aircraft with registration number 5N-BWI. The flight, operated by 15 crew members, is expected to arrive Cochin International Airport in Kerala.
TBI Africa reports that Air Peace had also evacuated about 210 Israelis from Nigeria to Tel-Aviv on March 29, 2020, evacuated about 301 Chinese from Lagos airport to Guangzhou, China on May 28, 2020 and also evacuated 286 Indians to Kochi from Lagos on Sunday.
Onyema said that the airline was grateful to these three countries for the confidence they reposed on the airline, which in no small measure portrayed their support for the development of Nigerian airlines.
He said: “Israel blazed the trail when it approved the evacuation of its citizens from Lagos and Abuja to Tel-Aviv, followed by China and India.
“For these three countries to engage Air Peace to carry out the evacuation exercise speaks volumes about the level of confidence they have on the airline and its safety standards.
“This feat has been attested to by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification of our airline.
“What the three countries have done will help in creating and sustaining jobs for Nigerians and by identifying with a Nigerian carrier at this time shows.
“This shows that they love our country and their support has challenged us to do more by improving on our achievements.
“Air Peace is grateful to the government of these countries. Their support means a lot to us. It shows that they truly have the interest of Nigeria at heart.”
Onyema noted that this good gesture shown by Israel, China and India would not go unnoticed by the Nigerian public, which over the years have yearned for viable Nigerian carriers.
According to him, this could be flying them to different parts of the world, as it is known that Nigerians are great travellers.
