Air Peace decorates 2 new captains

West Africa’s biggest carrier Air Peace, yesterday, elevated two members of its flight crew to the rank of captain, urging them to sustain the high safety standards the carrier is known for.

The captains who were decorated at the airline’s corporate headquarters in Lagos were Mr. Oluwasegun Fatonade and Mr. William Devine.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Allen Onyema, said he was proud that they scaled the rigorous tests to attain the rank.

The rigorous requirements the new captains were subjected to, he said, were necessary to ensure they were qualified for the high quality of the airline’s flight operations.

He assured that Air Peace would continue to reward excellence as a prostaff organisation and ensure that its Delta Air Lines, yesterday, marked one year of flying between Lagos and New York-JFK with 60,000 passengers airlifted.

The nonstop flight started on March 26, 2018 and operated three times a week. Delta also flies nonstop between Lagos and Atlanta four times a week providing a daily connection for Nigerians to the United States.

In a statement, Delta said the service also recorded an average load factor of 84 per cent with passengers connected to popular states like Baltimore, Dallas, Chicago and Boston.

Delta’s Commercial Director, East and workers were promoted without regard to ethnicity and favouritism.

“It is strictly on merit. For the flight crew training team to have adjudged the new captains worthy of flying for Air Peace, they really must be good.

“It says a lot about their quality. The tough tests they passed through before being selected for elevation as captains was necessary to ensure the sustenance of the high standards of our flight operations,” Onyema said.

Air Peace Head of Training, Captain Ndubisi Ekwempu, who presented the new captains to Onyema for decoration, described them as hardworking and dedicated members of the flight crew.

Their elevation to the left seat, he said, was well deserved. He, however, urged Captains Fatonade and Devine not to rest on their oars. West Africa, Bobby Bryan, said, “Nigeria is an important market for Delta and offering the choice of flying to either New York or Atlanta enables us to better serve our customers.

“Flying nonstop to these hubs offers a wealth of connecting options across the United States and beyond.

“Delta has served Nigeria for 11 years and we’re proud to continue being the only US carrier flying between our nations.”

The statement said Delta’s flights from New York and Atlanta were conveniently timed to depart at the end of the day enabling customers to maximise their time in the United States.