The first direct flight from Lagos in Nigeria to Montego Bay in Jamaica was completed on Monday, December 21, 2020, as the two countries work toward establishing a regular direct airline route between these destinations. The Air Peace flight was undertaken to mark 50 years of bilateral diplomatic relations between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Jamaica.

Traveling on the inaugural flight were Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and other government officials and private sector representatives. Jamaica’s Minister of Transport Robert Montague and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith met the Nigerian delegation at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.

Johnson Smith expressed her delight that after 400 years of shared history, the two nations could celebrate the flight in the midst of the worldwide pandemic, which has enhanced the need for connections. She also said she hoped that the Air Peace charter flight will be the start of a new era of cooperation between Jamaica and Nigeria, as well as all of Africa and the wider Caribbean region, in terms of tourism, trade, and investment opportunities.

According to Stanley Olisa, spokesperson for the Air Peace airline, the nonstop 11-hour flight from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos involved one of its three Boeing 777 aircraft. The flight carried 132 passengers to Montego Bay and indicated the airline’s ability to operate flights to any destination around the world. Olisa said that the aircraft will make another flight to Montego Bay on December 27, 2020, and return to Lagos on December 28, 2020.

The airline operates international flights to multiple international destinations, including China, Turkey, India, Malaysia, Israel, the United Kingdom, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Photo: Air Peace Airlines Facebook