Air Peace, an indigenous air carrier, has been issued a 72-hour ultimatum to tender an unreserved apology to the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero over alleged “flagrant disrespect” to the revered institution.
A Kano prince, Captain Isa Bayero, who issued the ultimatum, warned the airline to be ready to face multiple consequences, including loss of market share in Kano, if it fails to show regret for the inconveniences metted out to the Kano Emir.
The ultimatum came on the heat of controversy between the carrier and Kano Emirate over the airline’s refusal to delay its Lagos-Kano flight for the Emir and his entourage, who had earlier booked to connect the same flight to Kano.
Bayero, a former captain on the presidential fleet, told journalists in Kano, yesterday, that he would not hesitate to go the extra mile to protect the reputation of Kano emirate from disrepute.
Bayero had earlier petitioned the Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), demanding punitive measures against the airline for delaying the Emir’s flight from Banjul, the capital city of Gambia, and subsequent refusal to delay the Emir’s connecting flight from Lagos to Kano.
Meanwhile, Air Peace, in a statement, denied any attempt to disrespect the Emir. The Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Toyin Olajide, said: the airline “did everything to protect the name and image of the Emir from ridicule by not succumbing to what Isa Bayero wanted us to do.”
Olajide said that the decision not to wait for the Emir and his team stemmed from the lack of feasibility of halting a fully boarded aircraft while the monarch was still in the international wing of the airport, and yet to pass through the logistical hoops of boarding at the local terminal…”
Bayero insisted the airline should have provided alternative means to fly the Emir, whose late arrival to Lagos from Banjul was never his fault. He also refuted the claim that the emir rejected the option to transit to Kano through Abuja.
