*Air Peace And Mr Onyeama Should Grow Up and Stop Whining About The Price War They Started Against Foreign Airlines
I am all for giving Nigerian airlines a fair chance to compete on international routes against foreign airlines, and I want to first give Hon. Festus Keyamo, SAN, his full flowers and accolades as Minister of Aviation for working tirelessly to ensure Mr. Onyeama and Air Peace got a chance to sit at the table of international flight operators from Nigeria.
I especially applaud Hon Festus Keyamo’s personal intervention despite the fact that Onyeama is Igbo, when many love to accuse the Asiwaju Government of only supporting Yoruba businesses or penalising Igbo business people.
By the testimony of Mr Onyeama himself, Keyamo was hands-on, and he even travelled abroad with them to help them negotiate, and we thank God that they secured the charter, and the Nigerian government also backed them up.
Nigerians have also great patriotism and support for Air Peace as they started showing a preference for supporting our own to win over foreign competitors.
However, now that the charter has been given, it’s time Air Peace buckles up and gets ready to compete in the global marketplace.
Someone should send a memo to Mr Onyema that he is NOT in Aba anymore. This is big boy jungle now.
The whole idea of allowing competition is to ensure prices go down so consumers and travellers can get the best deal as the operators vie for their business with better pricing and services.
So, why are Air Peace and Philip Onyema crying about a so-called conspiracy by the foreign airlines to lower costs as a way of frustrating him in a price war he actually started? Or did he forget how he introduced himself to the big boys and the foreign airlines business? He slashed prices!
I recall watching Mr. Onyeama sounding so patriotic when he announced that he had reduced the prices of Air Peace flights to London to make them more affordable for Nigerians and wondered if he even understood that he just started a price war he may not be able to handle.
They ran adverts and social media videos to show that they cared about us and slashed prices to ensure we get better prices than those of the overpriced tickets of other foreign airlines.
Now, I am surprised to see Mr. Onyeama and Air Peace trying to play the victim card now that the foreign airlines have responded and slashed their own prices to lower than his, so they too can attract more customers.
So, why are Onyeama and Air Peace crying? It’s called a price war, and you started it! What exactly was Air Peace expecting? That these much more experienced airlines would just crawl away and die? Or they would just let you take away all the lunch they have been enjoying alone for years without fighting back? Please grow up, sir.
Now, this is no longer Nigeria, where you and your local operators always increased prices to torment us. You are now competing with the big boys, and it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. You have to learn to adapt to survive because these international giants will not let you run roughshod over them.
It’s called an open marketplace. It’s called a price war, and it won’t end until the race to the bottom is concluded, and the consumers get the lowest prices they can. You must compete or perish. That’s the rule of the economic jungle. It’s always survival of the fittest, sir.
Meanwhile, consumers are laughing all the way from Lagos to London because, for the first time ever, prices are falling for international flights. Let consumers enjoy that, sir. Improve your services. Make your operations more efficient, and maybe customers will stick with you.
Why should I pay you $1,200 if your competitor is asking for $1,100? Your threats that if you are unable to compete, Nigeria will lose billions of dollars is just sentimental hogwash from a company that refused to compete effectively on the international level.
The goal of every consumer is to pay less for services where possible, and if those airlines are offering $100 less, as you claimed, you have no right to expect those flyers to pay you the higher price because they are fellow citizens. You are not a charitable organization. You keep your profits and spend them on yourself or your family. Why should we suffer to make you richer? No, sir.
The government has already done its part by giving you a seat at the table, and Nigerians have already shown loyalty by packing your flights and giving you preference as their own patriotic gesture. Now, you must tighten your belt and make sure you can compete so we consumers also can get lower prices.
If you think they are pricing below cost, then you too should seek investors with deep pockets who can put in more money in the short term so you too can compete at a loss for a while until you all sort out the price war. You can’t come into the industry undercutting your competitors by charging lower prices and then start crying when they fight back by lowering prices even lower than yours, sir.
If you can’t compete on price then compete on better services . For instance have a better frequent flyer program that will make people remain loyal to you even at higher prices . I have paid higher prices many times to fly on delta airlines for all my international trips becos they treat me well. Their frequent flyer programs work for me so I don’t usually mind that extra $150 or $250 I have had to pay in some cases when their fairs are not lowest in route. Do whatever you have to of to compete but for God’s sake stop whining and stop using emotional blackmail on Nigerians. It won’t work because at the end of the day, everyone looks out for their own pockets just like you are looking out to make more profits
I love you, sir, and wish your airline will survive after going through so much effort to get into the international routes, but don’t come at us with emotional blackmail as compatriots. You have your license. Now go and compete while we root for you!
My name is Ope Banwo, and I believe in marketplace competition. The Economic Jungle is survival of the fittest, and that is the Fadeyi Way.
The air peace man is only trying to help us Nigerians. If you can’t encourage him then keep quiet.
Mr Ope Banwo, you’re clearly not an intelligent person. That is why you fail to understand the larger issues of Air Peace’s failure besides your being a tribal bigot as is also evident from your article. I won’t bother educating you on the critical issues of Nigeria’s national survival associated with the aviation business. However, I must urge you to shun tribalism and all the primordial sentiments you harbor. It has been at the centre of everything we have done in this country since it was founded and look where we are. But if you’re happy with Nigeria as it is, you can continue.
Great response…just a trib bigot!!!
This is interesting writeup. It calls for tighting your belt to compete. Nice writeup.
Stupid writeup do you know that the air peace had supported Nigerians stranded abroad flying them back with out pay.
Some of those airlines have their government support, why can’t Nigeria government support him. He showed how wicked those airlines are charging Nigerians. Why can’t they reduce it before now they are using us to build their country and you are being sentimental about it. Nonsense
This is one of the most stupid and foolish write up I ever read online, a write up imbued with bitterness, jealousy, ethnocentrism and parochially tribalistic. That simple statement, despite being Igbo made the whole hocus-pocus you wrote a stemching stale of foolishness.
Must you bring tribe, to your discuss, are you a flight ✈️ operator/investor.
Utter rubbish and nonsense!
Great response…just a trib bigot!!!
When I saw the the as one Banwo, I knew immediately what to expect from the write up. A nation where tribalism has eaten into our fabrics, it’s not unexpected the ranting of this bigot. What has profiling got to do with this? Why mention a particular tribe? This is an industry we have people from all works of life playing yet since after Nigeria Airways, even the federal government has not been able to float a national carrier. I remember the likes of Jomoh Ibrahim tried and they all failed.
Now I stead of supporting an indigenous and patriotic Nigeria, you are here weeping up hate and tribalism.
Do you know what Airpeace has done for us? Do you know how long this people has fleeced us? So now they can bring down the price of air fares because our own has ventured into the business?
Do you know the implications of driving out Airpeace from business? Immediately they succeedin doing that we will all pay through our noses to be able to travel.
This foreign airlines in collection with their home governments do not mean well for us. There governments are pumping in money to subsidise the fares for them aso that they can achieve their aim. What has or is the federal government doing to checkmate this? Why should the federal government not come to the aid of Airpeace? Why would they also not subsidise for them so as to remain in business. This is an airline that has done so much for this country.
If you have short memory, then let me remind you that it was Airpeace they spearheaded the return of our citizens from south Africa and other parts of the world when we were being killed. How many of your tribes men contributed to that operation?
Just carry your hatred for the igbos to somewhere else. No matter what happens, Airpeace will never go down.
How will this your write up help Nigeria economy grow that onyema is canvasing for.
We all want what’s best for Nigeria and Nigerians all over. Like the Rubenhood myth. Geart your loins and be prepared for whatever the other players throw at you.
It’s not salvory to hit tribal gaund anytime we encounter criticism, most times the critique is meant to keep us focused on the ball.
Well Dr, Mr Ope Banwo is wrong in every sense of thinking and speaking.
1. He has phobia for Igbo.
2. He does not fully understand what is happening.
3. In the past Many airlines in Nigeria has come and gone as a result of our government not fully backing their own.
4. Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, American Airway, Qatar Airways, Etopian Airways etc.
All have the backing of their government and this is truely why they are naturally excelling in airospace business.
5. The Local Airlines in Nigeria Needs The Total support of our Federal Government.
No One works a lone to bring things to oder.
6. Most Honorable Minister Festus Keyamo, So far he has done a very good job and I sincerely thank and commend him for that.
H. Minister Festus Keyamo has more than more job to do in the Aviation sector of Nigeria.
So I tell Mr Dr CEO Ope Banwo to stop being a Mathematician and stop this too much Over Thanks, Accolades and Flowers.
Do you know or do business more than CON Mr. Allen Ifechukwu Onyema.
BE A LAWYER and STOP YOUR $100 CALCULATION. Business idea my foot.
Air Peace’s 6hrs flight to London is still the cheapest in its category. Going by more than 6hrs flight via Ethiopia, Egypt etc is cheaper but not time efficient.
Whoever wrote this article is suffering from igbophobia, with people like this Nigeria will remain down, but sorry Nigerians have grown above your awkward thinking, you should better grow up to meet up, this is a new Nigeria.
Thank you Mr Banwo for this write up. Nothing can be more educating. He has given a good advice to Mr Onyeama on what he needs to do in the face of stiff competition. Mr Onyeama should not listen to Internet hawks on this platform who are either illiterate or uninformed people who know next to nothing when comes to competition in the open Market arena. The hawks cannot help you. “Compete or perish”
Your write up emits base sentiment. You bane of Nigeria is that even the educated and well travelled are tribal bigots. The spirit of this write up is poisonous envy, evil jealousy and wicked heart. Let Nigerians think liberally about ourselves. We must stop ourselves from seeing ourselves with the eyes of tribal lenses. Government policies and officials must not serve from the pedestal of tribe. Nigeria would never rise and has not risen because of this evil. Is sad education has not educated you to reason without tribal bigotry.
Beautiful and sensible write-up but started on a tribal note unfortunately. Your suggestions for government patronage and other supports are spot-on.
Ope Banwo with this kind of write up it’s obvious you are a tribal bigot. Reading the crap you wrote here, I see a man full with anger, bitterness and jealousy. With your likes Nigeria will go no way.
From someone still struggling to excel, it is well. This write up is devoid of empathy. Full of jealousy, bigotry, hypocrisy and sycophancy.