274 Israelis have been evacuated from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja (NAIA) to Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Mr Allen Onyema, the Chairman of Air Peace, made this known on Sunday in a statement in Lagos.
Onyema said the flight, which transported 65 passengers from Lagos and proceeded to Abuja to transport another 209, was operated by Air Peace Boeing 777-300 with registration number 5N-BWI.
He described the flight as historical, saying, “it is the first time Nigeria and Israel would have a direct flight”.
Onyema expressed hope that subsequently the two countries would have scheduled direct flight between Lagos and Tel-Aviv.
“It is a historic day for both Nigeria and Israel. History has been made today; 60 years of diplomatic relations, no direct flight has been conducted between Nigeria and Israel till today.
“So, this is the first time Nigeria and Israel will have direct air connectivity.
“So, it is a historic day, and it is going to portend greater things that will come, both countries have a lot to gain by having direct flights.
“Nigeria is a land of huge potential, which Israel may be willing to tap into, while Nigeria will want to tap into science and technology, which Israel is known for.
“I really want to thank the Federal Government of Nigeria for making this possible.
“Previous administrations were unable to pull this through, but this government did it. We have a compassionate government, that I can tell you,” he added.
According to him, it is difficult to get flight permits, even during this critical period of emergencies from other countries, but Nigeria did not waste a second to approve this flight.
“The Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, approved the request the moment it was presented to him.
“All the heads of aviation agencies gave their supports, which made the flight possible. So, it is the government that made the evacuation possible,” Onyema said.
He said the Israel Government also gave its support and allowed for the first time a Nigerian airline to operate direct flight to Israel, noting that this was something good for both countries, good for our diplomatic relations.
“So, I feel proud; I fell privileged to be part of this history, and I thank God Almighty for it. We have to build from here now going forward,” the Air Peace chairman said.
He also said that the COVID-19 storm would be over someday.
“When it is over, we look forward to do scheduled direct flight to Israel; at least twice a week to Tel-Aviv; this will help boost business relations between both countries.
“So, there is a lot to be gained instead of people going through different countries before getting to Israel.
“For Israelis to get to their country, they spent about 18 hours for just about five hours flight from Nigeria.
“They were happy and clapping for the Nigerian Government and for the Israeli Government for making this happen today. So, I say kudos to the Buhari administration for making this come through,” Onyema said.
Responding, the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Shimon Ben-Shoshan, expressed happiness for the successful evacuation of his country’s citizens from Nigeria.
Ben-Shoshan commended the chairman of Air Peace, for his invaluable contribution in making the air transport possible.
