Allen Onyeama, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Peace, addressed the recent Saudi visa incident, maintaining that his airline adhered to all established protocols in transporting Nigerians to the Middle East nation.
On Monday, November 13, 2023, the dispute began when the Saudi authorities suddenly cancelled the visas of all 264 passengers who had been flown from Kano by Nigeria’s main airline, Air Peace. The travellers were ordered to return to Nigeria by the Saudi authorities.
Consequently, 87 passengers were allowed admission into Jeddah following their clearance by immigration, whereas 177 people were forced to return on the same flight. Onyema strongly cleared Air Peace of any misconduct in spite of the loss, saying, “It looks unusual because we followed every protocol and procedure.” On Thursday, November 16, he said these things on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Onyema stated that before to the flight’s departure, the airline had received approval for both the Advanced Passenger Information System and the visa verification gateway set up by the Saudi authorities.”We made it through, and it went through. Before we departed the country, we obtained all necessary approvals and submitted the manifest ahead,” he confirmed.The CEO of Air Peace also cited remarks made by the Saudi Arabian Embassy, which he claimed validated the airline’s stance.
(Nigerians) do not dispute that they are in possession of visas. They claim to have learned that the data they provided them with was incorrect for the appropriate visas. It’s as if you had a tourist visa and are travelling for medical treatment,” Onyema clarified.