The Air Peace flight billed to airlift Nigerians from South Africa was delayed for 24 hours because authorities at the OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg did not give permit to the airline for the flight in time.
The flight was billed to take off by 1:00am early Tuesday and arrive Johannesburg by 7:00 am.
The flight was also planned to leave the OR Tambo International Airport Johannesburg by 12:00 pm back to Nigeria, to arrive the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos by 7:00 pm.
Allen Onyema, The Chairman and CEO, who confirmed this said, “We did not take off by 1:00am as scheduled because South African authorities are yet to give us landing permit. We are hopeful that they will give us the permit. Our crew waited till 3:00 am but when the permit did not come, they went back to the hotel. Once we get the permit we will set off to South Africa. We don’t want to speculate but we are hopeful they will give the permit,” Onyema said.
BusinessDay checks showed that the South African authorities eventually gave Air Peace permit to land at 8am on Wednesday morning. As a result of the development, the flight was rescheduled to take off from MMIA at 1.00am on Wednesday morning and arrive by 8am at the OR Tambo International Airport Johannesburg.
The Air Peace flight was therefore rescheduled to depart South Africa by 12 mid-day on Wednesday and arrive Lagos by 7pm same day.
Air Peace is expected to evacuate second batch of returnees, numbering 320 Nigerians as a result of the xenophobic attacks on Africans by South African indigenes.
Nigeria is evacuating its nationals in South Africa following xenophobic attacks on black immigrants in that country whcih led to deaths and destruction of their business interests.
A South African government delegation that met with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja Monday apologised for the attacks.
