Lagos-London flights: Ezekwesili calls for aviation regulator’s intervention

A former minister of education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has called for the aviation industry’s market regulator intervention in the purported attempt by strong companies on the Lagos-London route to stifle healthy competition, which is being caused by the advent of Air Peace.

Ezekwesili said that as soon as it has all the information, the aviationion industry’s market regulator has to stop the main airlines’ predatory actions on the Lagos-London route.

She emphasised that in any competitive market, unfriendly pricing structures are predatory and are always prohibited and sanctioned by the market regulator.

Her remarks follows the concern expressed by the Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema that foreign airlines running the Nigeria-UK route were allegedly planning to send his airline out of international operations by crashing airfares.

According to Onyema, foreign carriers have a “unspoken alliance” to utilise cheaper prices to drive Air Peace off the Nigeria-London route.

In response, Ezekwesili wrote on her X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday that she was disturbed by the most recent developments, which show that the main companies on the Lagos-London route seem to be attempting to stifle the beneficial competition brought about by Air Peace’s entry into the market.

She stated: “I followed the @flyairpeace Lagos-London route entry with profound interest and excitement as one who loves the market competition economic model.

“In the market for goods or services, nothing compares to customer happiness. Nigerians may not all understand that government control has not always served us better than market principles, but they do appreciate it when it does, like in the case of telecommunications.

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“In every competitive market, hostile pricing methods are predatory and are typically prohibited and approved by the market regulator. The practice of leading airlines attempting to prevent low-cost or regional players from entering the market is known as predatory pricing.

“This is the reason I find it concerning that the leading companies on the Lagos-London route now seem to be attempting to stifle the beneficial competition brought about by Air Peace’s arrival into the market.

“Once the regulator has all the information, the actions of those major airlines on that route seem predatory and need to be stopped right now.

“Serious regulatory action is warranted for the harmful development; gather information and take appropriate action.

“The dynamics of the market must be permitted to function in accordance with the fundamental ideas of competition and not predation that will ultimately hurt the customers.”