BASA: Togo apologies to Air Peace, allows airline to operate to Lome

The government of Togo has apologised to the Nigerian carrier, Air Peace over the restraining of the airline to fly into our domain from the country.

The Chairman of Air Peace, Barr. Allen Onyema disclosed this in his office in Lagos.
Onyema who two weeks
ago, accused the Togolese Government of restraining Air Pace from reciprocating the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) Nigeria has with Togo, had threatened to sue the country for disallowing it from operating into the West African country.

But, Onyema explained that 48 hours after he threatened to sue the Togolese government, its Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) wrote the airline and gave it approval to fly into its country.
He, however, said that the airline may be forced to sue Cote d’Ivoire Government by 22nd May, 2017 if it didn’t grant it the approval to operate into its country, saying that the airline had met all the conditions spelt out for it by its CAA.

He said: “Barely 48hours after I threatened to sue the Togolese government, they wrote a letter of apology to us. Nigerian government needs to support the local carrier. If their airlines can fly into our country in respect of the BASA arrangement we have with their government, I don’t know why we should not be given the same right to do same.

“However, I will still go ahead with the threat to sue Cote D’Ivoire Government if they don’t give us the approval to fly into their country by May 22, 2017.”

Also, Air Peace was recently given the International Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The airline received the Certificate barely two and half years of commencement of flight operations.

Onyema, said that with the certificate, the airline would continually improve in its safety operations, adding that without strict adherence to safety, the airline would not have received the certificate in a record time.

Also speaking at the event, Area Manager, West Africa, IATA, Dr. Samson Fatokun, urged the airline to uphold the safety culture.

He explained that IATA would in a couple of months commence Enhanced IOSA (E-IOSA), which is an improvement on the current one.

IOSA certificate is valid for two years for all airlines. e from reciprocating the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) Nigeria has with Togo, had threatens to sue the country for disallowing it from operating into the West African country.