By Abiola Olawale
Air Peace, one of Nigeria’s major carriers, is experiencing widespread flight disruptions, including delays and cancellations nationwide, following the withdrawal of three aircraft by a major lessor, SmartLynx Airlines.
The operational setback, which has been ongoing for the past week, has impacted the airline’s schedule, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and prompting the carrier to publicly address the sudden reduction in its fleet capacity.
Speaking during a press conference on Friday at its office in Lagos, Nowel Ngala, the chief commercial officer of Air Peace said his company entered a wet-lease agreement with Smartlynx because 13 of its aircraft are currently undergoing scheduled maintenance abroad.
Ngala stated: “To avoid service gaps and ensure Nigerians could continue to travel conveniently, Air Peace leased aircraft from SmartLynx in a bid to support Nigerian passengers during peak travel periods.
“The disruptions were caused by the abrupt and unjustified withdrawal of four aircraft we wet-leased from SmartLynx Airlines. This withdrawal was done without prior notice, a clear violation of industry standards, and of the agreement between both parties.
“What makes this even more concerning is that SmartLynx had collected money upfront from Air Peace, fully aware that the rightful owners of those aircraft would be withdrawing their aircraft from them because they have been in default of payments to the said owners,” he said.
The chief commercial officer disclosed that over $5 5million of Air Peace money, including over a million dollars paid as security deposits for those aircraft, is with them while they are about to run away from Nigeria, and this situation has caused Air Peace over 15 million dollars in damages.
He said these aircraft had already been rostered for scheduled flights, and their sudden removal created significant gaps in our operations.
He noted that other airlines that leased aircraft from SmartLynx from other parts of the world were similarly affected, confirming a broad pattern of unprofessional conduct.
“We consider this action by Smartlynx to be a serious breach of contract, fraudulent, and a premeditated scheme that has inflicted financial loss and reputational damage not just to Air Peace but indirectly to the Nigerian traveling public, whom we serve with pride,” he said
