Air Peace, one of Nigeria’s leading airlines, has issued a cautionary alert to the public after reports emerged of passengers being defrauded by fraudsters who cloned the airline’s official website.
This disconcerting revelation surfaces mere days after Air Peace’s historic launch of direct flights from Nigeria to the United Kingdom.
In a statement shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Air Peace disclosed the existence of a fraudulent website, “www.flyairpeace.uk,” which masquerades as the airline’s legitimate booking platform.
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The perpetrators behind this scam have adeptly replicated Air Peace’s website identity collaterals, leading unsuspecting individuals to believe they are engaging with the airline’s official portal. Emphatically, Air Peace clarified that its authentic website remains “www.flyairpeace.com” and urged the public to exercise caution and avoid the fraudulent site, which preys upon innocent passengers.
“Our attention has been drawn to the existence of a website “www.flyairpeace.uk” purporting to be an official website and defrauding unsuspecting individuals,” the airline said in a statement.
“We would like to dissociate the Air Peace brand from this fraudulent site because it is not owned by us. The one and only website of the Air Peace remains “www.flyairpeace.com.
“Members of the public should totally ignore the site, as it is impersonating Air Peace and fleecing passengers.”
This development follows Air Peace’s grand entry into London with more affordable ticket costs, forcing other airlines to slash their fares.
The airline’s foray into the UK market has been met with significant enthusiasm, as evidenced by the overwhelming demand for its services. Commencing its daily flight operations to Gatwick, London, on March 30, 2024, Air Peace experienced a remarkable surge in ticket sales.
CEO Allen Onyema revealed that tickets for the Lagos-London route are fully booked until September, underscoring the remarkable success of the newly launched service.
“When you say what has it been like, right from the day we published our fares, even that inaugural flight got sold out within days.
“It got sold out in days and even up to September. So, the traffic is there; however, the last 48 hours has not been easy.”
In an interview with Arise TV, Onyema elaborated on Air Peace’s ambitious expansion plans, envisioning ownership of over 60 aircraft in the near future. He said the airline is exploring other direct routes, including New York and Houston.
“At the end of the day, Air Peace will be owning over 60 aircraft,” he said.
However, the CEO candidly acknowledged the challenges encountered during the airline’s journey to establish operations in the UK market. Among these hurdles, Onyema highlighted Gatwick Airport’s demand for a substantial security deposit exceeding £2 million before permitting Air Peace to commence operations.
This demand raised pertinent questions about equity in regulatory requirements, prompting Onyema to question whether other international carriers faced similar financial obligations in Nigerian airports.
“Are British Airways and Virgins paying that amount of money to Nigeria airports as security deposits? And when you ask them when you will get this money back, they would tell you until you stop flying to Gatwick,” he said.
He however explained that following negotiations between Air Peace and Gatwick Airport, there was a reduction of the security deposit amount.
Despite the internal and external obstacles encountered, Air Peace successfully navigated the complexities and launched its Lagos-London operations, marking a significant milestone in the airline’s expansion endeavors.