Air Peace domestic flights disrupted over ‘unlawful’ aircraft withdrawal by lessor

Air Peace, Nigeria’s flag carrier, has attributed sudden disruptions in its domestic operations to the “unlawful” withdrawal of three aircraft by its wet lessor, SmartLynx Airlines, resulting in a $15 million financial loss.

According to NAN, Nowel Ngala, the airline’s chief commercial officer (CCO), spoke on Friday at a press conference in Lagos, explaining that the withdrawals caused flight delays and cancellations.

Ngala said Air Peace had entered a wet-lease agreement with SmartLynx because 13 of its aircraft were undergoing scheduled maintenance abroad.

He said the airline leased aircraft from SmartLynx to prevent service interruptions and ensure Nigerians could continue to travel conveniently.

The airline official added that the unexpected withdrawal of the three aircraft was illegal and violated the terms of the contract.

Ngala noted that the withdrawal caused both financial losses and reputational damage to Air Peace and disrupted travel for the Nigerian public.

“This withdrawal was done without prior notice. It is a clear violation of industry standards and of an agreement between both parties,” he said.

“What makes this even more concerning is that SmartLynx had collected money upfront from Air Peace.”

The airline CCO said the lessor claimed the aircraft owners had instructed the withdrawal.

“Over $5 million of our money including over a million dollars paid as security deposits for those aircraft are with them (SmartLynx),” Ngala said.

“This situation has caused over $15 million in damages to Air Peace. These aircraft had already been rostered for scheduled flights, and their sudden removal created significant gaps in our operations.”

He noted that Air Peace had released three of the aircraft to the owners in good faith, and one more aircraft remains with the lessor, adding that the airline is seeking a refund.

Ngala said this was not the first time Air Peace faced difficulties with aircraft lessors.

“A lessor had ‘vanished’ with over two million dollars from Air Peace in the guise that it was taking  leased aircraft for maintenance,” the official said.

According to the commercial officer, the aircraft was never returned, and the funds were unaccounted for.

He said such incidents reflect the difficulties Nigerian airlines frequently encounter with international leasing agreements, stressing that they must not be allowed to recur.

Despite the disruptions, the CCO said Air Peace had completed its aircraft maintenance, with two aircraft already returned for service.

‘FULL OPERATIONS TO RESUME NEXT WEEK’

He said the airline expects to resume full operations across all domestic routes next week as more of its aircraft would return.

“We regret the difficulties our passengers have experienced, and we appreciate their patience and understanding throughout this period,” he added.

“Air Peace remains firmly committed to providing safe, reliable and world-class flight services.

“We assure the Nigerian public that we are taking every necessary step to prevent such disruptions in the future and to hold all defaulting partners accountable.”

Ngala, however, confirmed that the airline’s London flights were not affected.