Air Peace for major airlines in West Africa and Central Africa has issued a strong statement in response to concerns raised by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) regarding alleged “chronic delays and cancellations” in domestic operations.
Recognizing the NCAA's important role in maintaining safety standards, Air Peace vehemently argued that operational decisions that lead to disruption are determined solely by safety considerations due to the lack of aircraft.
In a statement released by management on Friday, Air Peace emphasized that “safety will always remain our fundamental priority.” The airline expressed sympathy for passengers who were inconvenient for flight delays and cancellations, but firmly stated, “Please do not regret making an operational decision that is rooted in strict compliance with human life protection and safety standards.”
The statement directly addressed reported recommendations from the NCAA on air peace to reduce the scale of operations to suit the available aircraft. Air Peace revealed that “more aircraft are available for daily operations than is currently listed,” rebuttal to the suggestion that fleet shortages are the source of confusion.
The airline provided a specific example of the incident Friday when one of the aircraft sustained damage to the engine due to a bird attack while landing at Enugu. The incident, explained by Air Peace, led to the immediate grounding of the aircraft and subsequent ripple effects of delays and cancellations across multiple routes that it had planned to serve.
The airline emphasized that such events “exceed entirely beyond control of any airline,” but safety protocols require affected aircraft to be grounded.
“Every decision that has been taken away from air peace since the establishment of this airline, whether it leads to delays, cancellations or halts of flights, has been taken in the best interests of safety,” management said. “And if that happens again, we do the same because we are not ready to compromise on safety.
“We don't cancel flights because of that fun. It's not our policy to delay or cancel flights without a valid reason, and we often become major financial losers.
Air Peace concluded its statement by repeatedly reiterating its commitment to serving passengers with “dignity, professionalism and, above all, unwavering compliance with safety standards.”
Below is the complete statement…
Re: NCAA Statement on Air Peace Flight Operations
Air Peace Attention is drawn to a statement allegedly released by Nigeria's Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), calling on airlines to “improve domestic operations” on suspicion of chronic delays and cancellations. As a Nigerian airline proudly, we are deeply grateful for the NCAA's consistent efforts to ensure that all airlines operating within the country, including Air Peace, adhere to strict global safety standards and regulatory compliance. Although it holds the NCAA with the highest rating as the regulator overseeing Nigerian aviation, it believes that setting the record straight is essential.
In air peace, safety will always be our fundamental priority. These delays and cancellations are determined by safety considerations. We fully empathize with respected passengers who experience discomfort, inconvenient or confused plans due to flight delays or cancellations. However, we do not regret making operational decisions rooted in protecting human life and strictly adhering to safety standards. If weather conditions, technical parameters, or operating standards have not reached a safe one, the flight will not work.
It is also important to clarify the key statements praised by the NCAA. Air peace should reduce the scale of its operations to match the available aircraft. We understand the spirit of that recommendation, but we must clearly state that air peace has more aircraft available than is currently listed for daily work. Therefore, the delays and cancellations we experience have absolutely nothing to do with the fleet shortage.
For example, today, one of our aircraft experienced a bird strike. The aircraft was immediately grounded and retreated from operation in accordance with safety protocols. The aircraft is planning to offer multiple routes today, and its inability to use had a direct ripple effect on the operation of these routes. This kind of situation is completely beyond the control of any airline, but again, our priority is passenger safety.
Whether it leads to delays, cancellations or halts of flights, it is stated that all decisions made by air peace have been taken since the establishment of this airline, have been taken in the best interest of safety. And if such a situation occurs again, we are not prepared to compromise on safety, so we do the same. Do not cancel flights for fun. It is not our policy to delay or cancel flights without a valid reason. When we do that, we are often a major financial loser. You don't sacrifice safety for convenience, comfort, speed or profit.
We focus on passenger dignity, professionalism and, above all, unwavering adherence to safety standards.
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Air Peace Ltd
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