Allen Onyema, Chairman and CEO of Airpeace Airline, has urged Nigerian authorities to allow airlines to manage their own ground handling, citing repeated incidents of aircraft damage, operational disruptions, and passenger inconvenience caused by third-party ground handling companies.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Sunday, Onyema detailed how the current system exposes airlines to unnecessary risks, resulting in costly repairs, flight delays, and disrupted schedules, emphasising that empowering airlines to handle their ground operations would safeguard both passengers and aircraft, prevent sabotage, and improve efficiency across the sector.
“Air peace has had this kind of, the ground handlers hitting our aircraft on more than 15 occasions, damaging our planes. This is a brand new plane, bought with over $85 million. And they damaged it. The thrust reversal of that engine is gone, as I speak to you. Then passengers took it out on us,”
He recounted multiple instances of preventable damage to Airpeace aircraft caused by ground handling staff. “For example, one of our 777s had an AOG on the engine and no shop, no engine shop available. So we grounded that particular aircraft for three years. On the third year, because engines were scarce, we were able to get an engine that was bought for over 12 million dollars. So what would you be telling the authorities now? A ground handler, in trying to lift the engine, pierced through the centre. To me, it’s sabotage. Outright sabotage. And I will not refrain from saying that it was sabotage.”
Onyema also explained how these incidents disrupt airline operations, forcing cancellations, rebooking, and additional costs for passengers. He cited the example of an aircraft fully boarded with 105 passengers scheduled to fly to Accra, which could not depart after a ground handler collided with its engine. “How was that possible? The engine itself is about $17 million,” he said.
He argued that Nigerian airlines are capable of managing ground operations themselves and should be allowed to do so. “I think this is the time they should allow any airline that can afford it to also engage in doing that. Enough is enough,” Onyema said. He suggested that airline-managed ground handling would reduce damage, improve efficiency, and protect passengers from disruptions caused by untrained or careless staff.
Onyema also highlighted broader challenges facing Nigerian aviation, including high taxation and multiple levies that eat into airline revenue. “The Nigerian airlines are heavily overburdened by taxes, levies, and all manner of charges. Just take a ticket of about 350,000. What comes to the airlines is about 81,000 Naira. And people, everybody’s talking about the airlines as if they’re making a kill. It’s not true,” he said.
He criticized multiple overlapping charges, including a mandatory 5 percent deduction per ticket by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), noting the impact on passenger demand. “ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, says that you are not supposed to go into revenue generating for government. What you do is cost recovery,That is why the airlines are not growing. So many charges.”
Emphasising the importance of passenger safety and operational efficiency, Onyema concluded that allowing airlines to manage their own ground handling would prevent sabotage, reduce flight disruptions, and help restore confidence in Nigeria’s aviation sector. “This is a selfless service, but we are being demonised for no reason. Enough is enough,” he said.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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