Air Peace says it will fully restore flights on all routes this week after days of widespread cancellations and delays triggered by the sudden withdrawal of leased aircraft by its foreign partners.
The airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, Nowel Ngala, accused Latvia-based SmartLynx Airlines of abruptly pulling out four wet-leased aircraft without prior notice, in what he described as a “fraudulent and premeditated scheme.”
Ngala said SmartLynx collected more than $5 million from Air Peace—including $1 million in security deposits—despite knowing the jets would be withdrawn due to SmartLynx’s own payment defaults to third parties. The move, he added, caused the Nigerian carrier losses exceeding $15 million and amounted to a “serious breach of contract.”
The airline also revealed a similar incident involving SYPHAX Airlines of Tunisia, alleging that the company disappeared with more than $2 million after failing to deliver on its lease commitments.
Despite the setbacks, Ngala confirmed that two of Air Peace’s 13 aircraft undergoing maintenance have now returned to service, paving the way for full operations to resume across its domestic and international network this week.
Air Peace emphasised that it remains committed to maintaining reliable operations and will review all existing partnerships to prevent a repeat of the disruptions.
Melissa Enoch
About the Author
