The Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, has called on the Federal Government to make Air Peace the national flag carrier.

He described Air Peace as Nigeria’s biggest airline, saying that it has a larger fleet than other indigenous airlines in the country.

Recall that earlier efforts by the Federal Government to bring back Nigeria Airways into business had been fruitless.

A press statement made available to journalists in Awka on Friday by the state Commissioner of Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C. Don Adinuba, said that following the failure of the proposed Nigeria airline from taking off, Air Peace should take its place as Nigeria’s pride.

He observed that the leading Nigerian carrier last February became the first indigenous carrier to acquire the wide-body 777-200 plane for its international operations which started in the last quarter of 2018, while a Boeing 777-300 aircraft was also added to its fleet last August 25.

The statement reads in part: “Air Peace will next month commence direct flights to London, Houston, Johannesburg, Dubai, Mumbai and Guangzhou.

“In the middle of last month, the airline stunned the aviation industry when its chairman, Barrister Allen Onyema, and the Boeing Commercial Airline Director, Mr Larry Tolliver, signed an agreement in the residence of the American consul general in Lagos to supply Air Peace with 10 brand new Boeing 737 MAX planes for $1.17 billion.

“The delivery will increase the five-year-old airline fleet to 30 and also make it the first West African carrier to own the MAX model of the hugely successful Boeing 737 series.”

The Governor described the Airline’s ground and in-flight services as same with world-class airlines saying that it also has a 100 per cent safety record.

“There was no reason not to make her Nigeria’s flag carrier The number of jobs, economic and business opportunities it has created in the aviation value chain since 2013 when it was established,” Obiano said.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for suspending the establishment of Nigeria Air which was announced recently by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, without disclosing the reason.

Obiano noted that the Buhari administration did not allow ego to get in the way of its suspension of the proposed carrier.

“Buhari,” he said, “did not behave like most African leaders who think that policy review is a mark of weakness even when the policy is asphyxiating. He did not let that get in the way of Nigeria Airways suspension of the proposed career. Rather, he behaved like what academic researchers would call ‘an authentic leader’, that is, a leader humble enough to admit policy deficiencies and even personal errors.”

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