The Aviation industry is one of the hardest hit due to COVID-19. It was one of the first sectors to be shut by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Since the reopening of the airport on July 8th, 2020 for domestic flights, the usual crowds often witnessed at the airport have disappeared as Nigerians abide with the advice of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to stay home in order to stay safe.
Now, it is unsurprising that AirPeace, one of the leading flight operators in Nigeria has decided or concluded plans to sack 70% of its pilots and cut the salaries of its staff by 40%.
According to an AirPeace statement, the decision was taken in good fate because the airline is not immune to the devastating impact of COVID-19 which has grounded the travel and hospitality industry. There will no doubt be more sacking or cutting off salaries to come not only in the aviation sector but across all sectors of the Nigerian economy.
Apparently, AirPeace is not the only airline sacking or cutting salaries. International airlines have also be caught in the web of the coronavirus pandemic.
Some of the international airlines that have sacked, suspended, or cut salaries of its workers include Turkish Airlines, Ethiopia Airlines, Turkish Air, Emirates Airlines, Ryanair, Ethiad, and Lufthansa among many others.
AirPeace All Female Crew
Although the Federal Government through the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika recently disclosed that his ministry is working on a palliative for the aviation industry, it seems there is nothing on ground at the moment. If there would be any palliative at all, the government needs to act now before the struggling and epileptic Nigerian airline industry collapses.
AirPeace is a Nigerian airline owned by Allen Ifechukwu Athan Onyema. Onyema founded the airline in 2013 and since then it has become the toast of many Nigerians which deemed it one of the few reliable airlines in the country. Hopefully, the airline will survive these difficult times.
