… Photo caption: From L:R: The Chief Commercial Officer, Air Peace, Mr. Nowel Ngala, and the Head, Ground Operations Air Peace, Mr. Ayodeji Adeyemi at a media briefing in Lagos today.
…Says Withdrawal Of Three Aircraft Fraudulent
Air Peace Nigeria Limited has demanded for a refund of $15M for allegedly, illegally and fraudulently withdrawing three aircraft it leased from it that were already scheduled for domestic flights, thereby causing the disruption of flights.
This was disclosed by the Chief Commercial Officer(CCO) of Air Peace, Mr. Nowel Ngala, while briefing journalists today in Lagos.
Speaking to journalists, Ngala said that over the past week, Air Peace has experienced several operational disruptions, resulting in flight delays and cancellations due to illegally withdrawing three aircraft from its operations.
He said that the airline understand the inconvenience this has caused its valued customers, and that the airline will address these issues with full transparency.
He informed that Air Peace entered a wet-lease agreement with Smartlynx because 13 of its aircraft are currently undergoing scheduled maintenance abroad.
He stated that to avoid service gaps and ensure Nigerians could continue to travel conveniently, Air Peace leased aircraft from SmartLynx and these efforts were made solely to support its passengers during peak travel periods.
On the sudden withdrawal of aircraft by SmartLynx, he said, “The disruptions were caused by the abrupt and unjustified withdrawal of four (4) 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 rightfull owners of those aircraft would be withdrawing their aircraft from them because they have been in default of payments to the said owners.”
Speaking further, he said, “Over $5million of our money including over a million dollars paid as security deposits for those aircraft are with them while they are about to run away from Nigeria and this situation has caused over 15 million dollars in damages to Air Peace.”
Ngala said that these aircraft had already been rostered for scheduled flights, and that their sudden removal created significant gaps in the airline’s operations.
He informed that other airlines who leased aircraft from SmartLynx from other parts of the world were similarly affected, confirming a broad pattern of unprofessional conduct by the Leasing company.
“We consider this action by smartlynx to be serious breach of contract, fraudulent, and a premeditated scheme that as inflicted financial loss and reputational damage not just to Air peace but indirectly to Nigerian traveling public, whom we serve with pride,” Ngala said.
Ngala stated that despite SmartLynx’s actions, Air Peace has released three of the aircraft in question to their rightful owners in good faith but that one more aircraft remains, and that Air Peace is requesting for a refund of its funds.
The SYPHAX Airline
He hinted that this is not the first time Air Peace has been placed in a difficult situation by a fraudulent lessor.
He recall that DYPHAX Airlines of Tunisia vanished with over $2 million from Air Peace and that it never returned-claiming that it was they taking its aircraft for maintenance, adding that the aircraft was never returned, and that the funds remain unaccounted for till date as the airline went into bankruptcy.
According to him, “These actions, unfortunately, reflect the challenges Nigerian carriers often face in international leasing arrangements, we cannot allow that to happen again.”
Ngala said that despite these setbacks, “We are pleased to announce that some of our aircraft have completed maintenance and are returning to service.”
He said that already two aircraft have already arrived, adding that starting from next week, the airline is expected to resume full operations across all its routes as more of its aircraft returns
On affected passengers, Ngala said, “We regret the difficulties our passengers have experienced, and we appreciate their patience and understanding throughout this period. 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”
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