The airline said, contrary to the claim by the Emir's cousin, Air Peace did everything to protect the Emir's image.
The management of Air Peace has rejected claims that the airline treated the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, with disrespect.
The carrier, in a statement signed by its Chief Operating Officer, Toyin Olajide, claimed that the company protected the emir's image by refusing to delay the flight he was scheduled to board.
The Emir’s cousin, Prince Isa Bayero, had written a letter to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) demanding punitive measures be taken against Air Peace over what he described as “disrespect” to the Emir and people of Kano.
The Emir’s cousin was reported to have placed a call to the Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, pleading for the delay of the airline's morning flight to Kano.
Bayero explained that the Emir's flight from Banjul, the Gambia, was delayed which prevented him from arriving in time for his local flight.
However, the Emir's cousin's pleas fell on deaf ears as the airline proceeded with the flight at the scheduled time.
It appears this didn't go down well with the Emir's entourage which prompted the demand to the NCAA.
Reacting to the allegation made by the Emir's cousin, Olajide said she was shocked by what she called a deliberate falsehood against Air Peace while maintaining that the airline held the Emir in the highest regards.
She explained that, “Rather than disrespect the revered Emir of Kano, Air Peace did everything to protect the name and image of the Emir from ridicule by not succumbing to what Isa Bayero wanted us to do.
“If we had agreed to stop and delay an aircraft, already set to take-off, for another one hour only for the doors to be opened and the Emir to walk in, there would have been a very serious uproar in the media nationwide against both the airline and the Emir. This we pleaded with Isa Bayero to understand but he refused to accept.
“How could Isa Bayero want the Management of Air Peace to stop and delay a fully boarded plane with doors already shut and aircraft already moving while our respected Emir and eight others in his entourage, including Isa Bayero, were still at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos after arriving from Banjul?”
The COO added that the Emir’s cousin rang the phone of the Air Peace Chairman at about 5:52am, while he was still asleep, and dialed back again at 5:59am which eventually woke him up.
Olajide said after his call with Bayero, Onyema reached out to her to inquire about the status of the morning's flight, adding that the Chairman was willing to help.
“On seeing that it was Isa Bayero calling, he took the call. Isa told our Chairman that he and the Emir of Kano had just landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos from Banjul, Gambia and would be proceeding to Kano the same morning.
“He told the Chairman to delay our first flight of the day, the 6:15am Lagos-Kano flight for him and the Emir with another eight persons. It was not true that our Chairman refused flatly. He rather told Mr Isa Bayero to give him a few minutes to call the airport to find out the status of the flight. I was the one he called. To show his desire to help, he called me immediately and intimated me with the request.
“I am the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Air Peace. I quickly called the local airport from where we carry on our day to day domestic flight operations and was told that the aircraft had since finished boarding and was almost taxiing out,” Olajide added.
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