By Dickson Omobola

Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, has given reasons for inviting a Nigerian carrier, Air Peace, saying the airline’s price policy is causing worries among air travellers.

Director of Surveillance and Investigation, FCCPC, Boladale Adeyinka, explained that it invited Air Peace due to complaints from customers.

Adeyinka said this in Abuja when the Chairman of Air Peace, Dr Allen Onyema, led members of his team to honour the invitation extended to the airline.

The commission, however, commended Air Peace for giving clarifications, and promised that the situation would be reviewed.

Adeyunka said: “Thank you so much for honouring our invite in person. We have gained more insight into your operations. Just again to reiterate that it is not an investigation, it is an enquiry to understand and again, find out based on consumer complaints.

“Thank you also for bringing your expertise and insights to the industry, it is a good one for us, it is a good one for Nigerian consumers. This is our own, we are happy that you are doing well because if the consumers are saying that this is our aircraft, it means that ownership has moved from you to every Nigerian.

“We will review the situation and intervene where we can, not just for Air Peace customers but generally for all air passengers and other consumers of aviation services.”

Meanwhile, Onyema, who lamented that the airfares were not commensurate with the cost of running an airline, said fare pricing in the aviation sector was global.

“What happens abroad is far better but here, it is a different ball game. When you calculate all these costs, you will find out that when you fill your plane with passengers, you will still have not broken even, though 70 percent is given as the breakeven point because the fares are not just right.”