Policy of reciprocity: Sirika has caused positive revolution in aviation sector-Air Peace Chairman

The Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Allen Onyema has commended Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation, for the decision of the federal government to enforce the principle of reciprocity in granting permission to airlines to resume operations in the country as it opens its airspace.

Onyema said this decision would elevate the image of Nigeria in the comity of nations and send a signal to international airlines that it is no more business as usual.

In a letter the Air Peace boss wrote to the Minister to commend him on this laudable decision of the federal government, he said, “You are causing a positive revolution in the aviation world. You have, by this action, brought so much respect to our people and our nation. Nigerians all over the world are walking tall with enormous pride since the last few hours when the news broke out. This is the beginning of the end of the stigmatisation of Nigeria and everything Nigerian. God bless you always. From my sincere heart, I have come to appreciate your nationalistic tendencies.”

Onyema said the Minister, by his conduct and commitment, has ensured that the aviation industry is unencumbered, noting that Sirika facilitated the customs duty waiver on aircraft and spares and currently working on the unification of charges paid by domestic airlines.

The Air Peace Chairman also commended the Minister for his overall commitment to the aviation industry, from his efforts towards restoring infrastructure at the airports to his intervention in labour issues, adding that Sirika has done so much to protect domestic airlines by spearheading earlier the policy that only Nigerian carriers should engage in evacuation conducted by the federal government.

Meanwhile, Air Peace has dispatched two of its Boeing 777 aircraft to China on national assignments.

The airline management said that the two aircraft were dispatched to the cities of Chengdu and Beijing respectively for important national assignments on behalf of the governments of Nigeria and China.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.