Nigeria’s flag carrier, Air Peace, has claimed that the “unlawful” withdrawal of three aircraft by its wet lessor, SmartLynx Airlines, caused abrupt delays in its domestic operations and a $15 million financial loss.
Nowel Ngala, the airline’s chief commercial officer (CCO), reportedly said that the withdrawals resulted in flight delays and cancellations during a press conference in Lagos on Friday, according to NAN.
According to Ngala, Air Peace and SmartLynx had a wet-lease arrangement because 13 of Air Peace’s aircraft were undergoing planned maintenance overseas.
He claimed that in order to avoid service disruptions and guarantee that Nigerians could continue to fly conveniently, the airline rented planes from SmartLynx.
The airline representative also stated that the three aircraft’s unannounced pullout was against the law and the conditions of the agreement.
Ngala pointed out that the pullout interrupted travel for Nigerians and resulted in financial losses as well as harm to Air Peace’s brand.
“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 stated that one aircraft is still with the lessor and that Air Peace had released three of the aircraft to the owners in good faith. The airline is requesting a refund, he added.
According to Ngala, Air Peace had previously had issues 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.
The commercial officer claims that the money was missing and the aircraft was never returned.
He emphasised that such situations must not be permitted to happen again, saying that they are a reflection of the challenges Nigerian airlines regularly face with foreign leasing agreements.
The CCO stated that despite the interruptions, Air Peace had finished maintaining its aircraft and that two of them had already been put back into operation.
‘FULL OPERATIONS TO RESUME NEXT WEEK’
According to him, the airline anticipates that more of its aircraft will return next week, allowing it to resume full operations on all domestic flights.
“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.
