Sharjah Airport recently received Air Peace’s inaugural flight from Lagos. The Nigerian airline’s first international airport outside Africa, Sharjah Airport offers the advantages of Sharjah’s geographic location and the level of service that the Airport provides to airlines and travellers.

The fact that Air Peace chose Sharjah Airport underlines the importance of the growing travel market and tourism and economic activity in the Emirate of Sharjah. The company has appointed Sharjah Airport Travel Agency (SATA) as its exclusive agent in the UAE market.

After the plane landed, it was received by a number of officials from the Airport’s management and a delegation from Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority and Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The passengers and crew were welcomed with authentic UAE hospitality.

HE Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of SAA, said, “We welcome the arrival of Nigeria’s Air Peace, which operates flights from Sharjah Airport as a hub and destination.”

His Excellency emphasised that the Airport is keen to provide the best services and facilities to Air Peace and all airlines operating from Sharjah Airport to ensure their success and enable them to provide services to passengers efficiently. He added, “The Emirate of Sharjah is attracting a growing number of tourists and businessmen from various African destinations including Nigeria. These flights will help to position Sharjah as a centre for tourism, culture and business, attracting more tourists from Africa to Sharjah.”

Allen Onyema, Air Peace’s Chairman and CEO, said, “We thank the officials of Sharjah Airport Authority and the employees at the Airport for the great support they have provided to Air Peace and for facilitating all procedures necessary to start operating flights to Sharjah.”

Mr Onyema emphasised that the services and facilities at the Airport are of the highest international standards and quality, explaining that the flights will help to meet the substantial demand for travel in both direction s. Headded, “Air Peace operates flights to Accra, Freetown, Banjul and Dakar in Africa. The Emirate of Sharjah is the airline’s first destination outside Africa. We hope that it will be a central hub for the airline’s global reach, especially as Sharjah’s strategic location is ideal.”

The company seeks to capitalise on the growing demand for travel to and from Sharjah by operating 3 flights per week on a Boeing 777, departing from Sharjah Airport at 8:00 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and arriving at Lagos International Airport.

This is related to the success of Sharjah Airport Authority, which seeks to meet the needs of different travellers and pave the way to several other African destinations in addition to establishing a partnership with one of Africa’s largest and fastest growing airlines. The move will benefit the tourism and trade sectors and strengthen the national economy while providing tourists, citizens and residents with an increasing number of travel options.

Air Peace was established in 2013 to provide passenger and charter services – serving major Nigerian cities and flying to key destinations such as Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.