Posted by Sade Williams
Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema has called on the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, Embraer to assist the airlines in establishing a Maintenance, Overhaul and Repair (MRO) facility in Nigeria.
Currently, Nigeria loses a lot in capital flight as its airlines cannot afford to carry out complete/overhaul maintenance , known as D-check, on their aircraft in Nigeria except they ferry them abroad.
His request was a response to the delivery of the first in Africa, Embraer E195-E2 out of the 13 firm orders, which arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja from Recife airport, Brazil on Thursday.
Air Peace is the first African carrier to take delivery of this brand new aircraft type in with 30 requests , which include 13 firm orders and 17 purchase right orders, coming second to Lufthansa globally, which ordered 35.
Speaking about the aircraft type, the President/ CEO, Commercial Business Aviation, Embraer, Mr. Arjan Meija, said “The E195-E2 tagged Profit Hunter aircraft will help Air Peace achieve its ambition of connecting not just all of Nigeria, but the whole of the African continent, while feeding long-haul flights from their Lagos hub.
“Air Peace is also the first airline to configure a premium cabin with our staggered seat option. Each of the 12 Business Class seats is slightly offset from the other to give more space and privacy. There are three rows of seats arranged two-by-two at 51-inch pitch at the 124 seater aircraft. Passengers by the windows have unobstructed access to the aisle; they don’t need to awkwardly step over their seatmates or ask them to move.
Meija also said there are large overhead bins on both sides of the aircraft, which is different from other configurations that have a narrow bin along one side of the premium cabin that transitions to a larger bin at the start of the economy cabin.
“The new 124-seat E2s complement the airline’s eight 50-seat E145s flying with Air Peace Hopper. The Embraer fleet will create greater regional and domestic connectivity from the carrier’s Lagos hub. Apart from the 13 195-E2s on firm order, Air Peace has purchase rights for 17 more of the aircraft according to Embraer,” he said.
Receiving the aircraft in Nigeria, which landed at 2 pm at the Abuja, airport, the Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Allen Onyema thank the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari for making the delivery of the ordered plane possible.
Onyema said the airline would not pay VAT and Customs duties on the new planes, describing t as big financial relief.
He also thanked the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika for his tireless support and encouragement to Nigerian airlines, noting that it was in response to his challenge of the airlines acquire new planes that spurred Air Peace to order the new aircraft.
The Air Peace Chairman also thanked the National Assembly Committees on Aviation for facilitating the passage of the waiver to airlines, adding that the 13 aircraft create 8000 jobs for Nigerians.
He added: The E195-E2 is the perfect aircraft to expand our domestic and regional operations. We are aware of the aircraft’s impressive economic performance as well as its unique configuration, the major reasons we placed an order for this aircraft. It is also a historic feat as Air Peace will be the first to operate this aircraft model in the whole of Africa. The E195-E2 aircraft will further help us actualise our ambition of connecting not just the whole of Nigeria, but the entire African continent, while feeding long-haul flights from our Lagos hub. The acquisition will enable us to deliver on our ‘no-city-left-behind’ initiative, which is underpinned by our goal to reduce the air transportation burden of Africans”.
Speaking, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika described the aircraft delivery by Air Peace as a step in the right direction.
He said the bold step by the airlines aligns with federal government’s road map for the aviation sector.
The Minister said the use of newer airplanes by Nigerian carriers will change the dynamics in airlines’ profitability and sustainability; by driving down maintenance and fueling cost.
In his speech, the Brazilian Ambassador to Nigeria, Ricardo Guerra de Araujo, said the feat of Air Peace was a remarkable for Nigeria and Africa, as Air Peace is the launch customer of this aircraft type in Africa.
The ambassador also expressed optimism that Air Peace would consider direct flight between Nigeria and Brazil.
Speaking on behalf of governors from Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Delta and Benue, Governor Obaseki urged Air Peace to rethink how to create regional hubs for air transport in Nigeria.
He described air transportation as the catalyst that would push for economic integration of the states in Nigeria and West Africa sub-region and called on other operators in the industry to consider ways of achieving affordable fares for air travellers.
The new E195s are a part of Air Peace’s plans to grow within Africa and launch long-haul routes to Asia, North America, and Europe. While the carrier is now the biggest in West Africa, the pandemic has slowed its long-haul ambitions. Upcoming destinations included Mumbai, Tel Aviv, London, and more as its fleet expanded.
