Air Peace, has elevated Captains James Adaviruku Onipe and Ikechukwu Paul-Ugochukwu to the positions of Director of Flight Operations (DFO) and Chief Pilot (CP), respectively.
Effective November 1, 2026, the appointments underscore the airline’s commitment to developing experienced aviation professionals, strengthening its leadership structure and sustaining operational excellence.
Captain Onipe, an accomplished airline pilot with almost two decades of experience across multiple aircraft fleets, currently served as Air Peace’s Embraer 145 Fleet Manager and Trainer/Check Airman. His experience spans flight safety, crew proficiency, operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.
Similarly, Captain Paul-Ugochukwu brings 22 years of aviation industry experience to his new role. He currently serves as a Boeing 777 Type Rating Instructor and Check Airman, contributing to pilot training, technical proficiency and the maintenance of operational standards.
The appointments follow the elevation of the outgoing Director of Flight Operations, Captain Augustin Kamano, and former Chief Pilot, Captain Martin Okunpolor, to higher positions within the Air Peace Group. Their new appointments reflect the airline’s commitment to recognising experience, facilitating career progression and strengthening its leadership pipeline.
As the handover process commences, Air Peace remains focused on nurturing aviation talent, reinforcing professional standards and building the leadership capacity required to support its expanding operations.
The airline congratulates Captains Onipe and Paul-Ugochukwu on their new appointments and wishes them success as they assume these pivotal responsibilities in advancing Air Peace’s operational ambitions.
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.
