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Air Peace’s operations disrupted as lessor withdraws airplanes, passengers stranded nationwide
Scores of Air Peace passengers across the country are stranded at airports following the withdrawal of three of the airline’s aircraft by SmartLynx Airlines, one of its lessors.
Consequently, many of its operations have been disrupted, as the airline is in a state of limbo.
Many of the carrier’s aircraft are grounded, while others are still undergoing maintenance checks overseas.
The airline is experiencing unprecedented flight delays and cancellations, a situation that has made air travel cumbersome for many passengers already booked on the airline.
Speaking to journalists on Friday at its office in Lagos, the Chief Commercial Officer of Air Peace, Nowel Ngala, stated that his company had entered into a wet-lease agreement with Smartlynx, as 13 of its aircraft were currently undergoing scheduled maintenance abroad.
“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,” Ngala said.
“The disruptions were caused by the abrupt and unjustified withdrawal of four aircraft we wet-leased from SmartLynx Airlines. This withdrawal was made without prior notice, a clear violation of industry standards and the agreement between the 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
He disclosed that over $ 5.5 million of Air Peace money, including over a million dollars paid as security deposits for those aircraft, is with them while they are about to leave Nigeria, and this situation has caused Air Peace over $ 15 million in damages.
Recall that Air Peace operates many of its flights on wet-leased aircraft, as many of its own aircraft are currently grounded, while others are still undergoing maintenance offshore.
Just last week, the airline took delivery of its first B737-800 aircraft from Aercap, on a dry-lease basis; a cheaper aircraft financing option for airlines.
The dry lease was facilitated by the federal government’s guarantee, indicating that it would be held responsible if Air Peace failed to meet the terms of the contract.
