Air Peace is keen to operate direct flights to Israel, the company’s CEO Allen Onyema said during a visit to the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) in Abuja.
The privately owned Nigerian flag carrier is interested in launching direct flights between Lagos and Tel Aviv, according to Nigeria’s The Cable.
A direct service between Nigeria and Israel would help to ease the burden of connecting flights on pilgrims from Nigeria, Onyema said.
The statement follows an announcement made in early August 2022 that Israel and Nigeria had concluded an arrangement to commence regular direct flights between the two countries. Nigeria has a population of approximately 206 million people, an estimated 50% of which are Christian.
The arrangement between Israel and Nigeria aims to make air travel easier for Nigerian pilgrims visiting holy sites in Israel.
Expanding international operations
Air Peace is actively exploring opportunities to expand its international services to more destinations, motivated by its aim to connect Nigerians to a wider travel network.
In July 2022, the airline launched its third international service from Lagos to Guangzhou, China, operated by a Boeing 777.
Airline spokesperson Stanley Olisa revealed that Air Peace was also keen to commence flights to Mumbai, India, and Tel Aviv, Israel.
Air Peace’s service network is comprised of 20 domestic routes, seven regional routes and three international destinations – Dubai, Johannesburg, and Guangzhou and launched in 2019, 2020 and 2022.
Despite a brief suspension of Air Peace’s services between Nigerian and Johannesburg in August 2022, due to visa issuance issues for Nigerians, the airline resumed its services to Johannesburg from October 9, 2022.
