LAGOS, March 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Six Nigeria airlines – Air Peace, Azman Air, United Nigeria Airline, Arik Air, Aero Contractors and Max Air – have announced an alliance called the ‘Spring Alliance’, to mutually support one another’s operations in order to provide better service to passengers.
The airlines signed the alliance in Lagos and vowed to work together and ensure that they engage in interline collaboration to protect their operations and improve service delivery to passengers.
The objective of the alliance is curb flight delays among the six partners, give one another technical support and also ensure that passengers are airlifted by any of the members, no matter, which airline’s ticket the passengers have.
For example, if Arik Air flight operating from Port Harcourt to Lagos suffered bird strike, instead of waiting for the airline to deploy another aircraft, another airline or airlines that are members of the airlines will airlift Arik Air passengers to Lagos.
The operators said that it is such cooperation that has sustained many airlines in the world, so the domestic carriers want to key into it to ensure their survival.
Speaking, the Chairman of Air Peace and Vice-president of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Allen Onyema, said that the Spring Alliance is for the benefit of the passengers who fly with the six airlines.
He said that globally there are many of such alliances, which airlines key into, which include the Star Alliance, One World and many others, noting that airlines key into those alliances for the benefit of both the passengers and the airlines.
“So, today, in Nigeria, the 8th day of March 2022, some Nigerian airlines, notably, Air Peace, Azman Air, Arik Air, Aero Contractors, Max Air & United Nigeria have decided to come together to form what we call the Spring Alliance. The name of this alliance is Spring Alliance. We decided to come together to do this for the benefit of the flying public that use the opportunities provided by these airlines to fly.
Meanwhile, flight delays and cancellations among airlines in Nigeria continue unabated as scarcity of aviation fuel bites harder and the cost of ticket purchases increase. Airline passengers in Nigeria pay for fares in naira, which has weakened sharply due to devaluations. Fuel suppliers however are paid in U.S. dollars, a scarce currency in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s fuel crisis has been exacerbated by imports of sub-standard petrol. This has angered motorists, who have been spending hours in lines for petrol, while some public transport owners have taken advantage of the situation, by hiking fares. — NNN-AGENCIES