Airpeace to downsize, stop inflight service to cut cost amidst flights resumption

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, MD/CEO, of Airpeace Airline, Mr Allen Onyema says it will downsize its operations when flights resume in the country.

This action he says will affect some of the workforce activities and no inflight service again onboard it domestic flights across its routes network.

Speaking during a webinar organized by Aelex partners with the theme: “Survival Strategies for Nigerian Airlines”, Mr Onyema said these decisions have been taken to cut cost by the airline due to the impact of the COVID-19 on the Industry, adding that some staff may be asked to stay home until the situation improves.

He said on resumption, passenger traffic would be low due to the fear passenger may entertain regarding air travel and to this end, a lot has to be done to encourage people to travel again.

**MD/CEO, of Airpeace Airline, Mr Allen Onyema**

The Airpeace boss said few of its aircraft would be deployed at resumption as well as a reduction in the number of flights.

“Out of our 13 Boeing 737 in Airpeace aircraft, we are only going to deploy 4 of them, out of our 8 ERJ’s, we are going to deploy only 6 because those ones are just 50 seaters, so we will manage with those ones.”

“From 100 flights per day, Airpeace is going down to 42 flights, so going to Abuja will no longer be every hour, do downsizing of your operations is good at cutting cost, so, we are downsizing our operations to almost about 60 per cent, we are going to do about 40 per cent of our operations and even in that 40 per cent, we are not going to carry 40 per cent of the passengers we use to carry before.”

“Passenger figures are not going to be the same again like what it used to be years back, everything has changed, so going into operations, a new set of regulations will emerge.”

According to Onyema, with the reduction in the number of flights, some staff would be required for the operations.

He emphasized that Airpeace was not sacking any staff, adding that when flight increases more staff would be brought in.

“Even we at Airpeace, we are going to downsize, I expect every airline to downsize because the passengers are not going to be there in the beginning, it will take time, so if you push out all your planes, you have yourself to blame.”

Onyema said staff must understand that the airlines have to stay afloat and restart its business and must be profitable for them to be active participants.

The Airpeace boss stated that staff who might be affected by the action to be taken by the airlines should see this as sacrifices for the stability of the airline business.

“So, what happens to the staff? I suggest that what airlines should do because you cannot pretend that you can carry all of them the same time when you go down, they go down finally and permanently and forever, no hope for survival again.”

“So even the staff must understand that they have a collective Commonwealth which is the airline, that airline must survive for them and their family to survive and how do make the airline survive, sacrifices must be made at this point in time, airlines must downsize their workforce, I see some unions talking about if anyone sacks anybody, I don’t understand, they are just grandstanding, they can do it, airlines have not been flying for two months, airlines live by the day all over the world, even bigger airlines have been closing, going into bankruptcy”, Onyema said.