Air Peace said on Wednesday it has set aside three aircraft as buffers to cushion the effect of of unexpected delays and cancellations.
Chairman of the airline, Dr. Allen Onyema at a press conference at the airline’s headquarters in Lagos, said the aircraft are to help as ‘shock absorbers’ especially in its internal delays and sometimes when caused by external factors.
Onyema disclosed that it recorded 85% On-Time Performance (OTP) in May as a result of the buffers. He revealed plans to rebrand the airline’s customer service department in a bid to improve service delivery.
“We have re-strategised since May 10, we have provided buffers for our flights and by May 12, we posted over 85 percent OTP, we have three aircraft that are not flying everyday, we have discovered that there are internal delays , planes can develop fault, there could be unforseen circumstances internally, with this arrangement, delays are now minimal. We are assuring our passengers of exceptional customer service as we roll new the new face of our Customer service soon”, he said
The Air Peace boss however attributed 98 percent of flight delays to external factors such as weather, unruly behaviour, bird strikes, sunset airports among others, adding that delays also have nothing to do with capacity and not synonymous with Nigeria alone.
“No airline gains from flight delays or cancellations but we will not be pushed to do anything unsafe in the course of our operations, most of our delays are dictated by safety concerns even when they are caused by external factors. We have had over 100 bird strikes in the last five years and 30 in the last six months. We delay our flights when it is necessary, we have zero tolerance to unsafe practices, we are very proud about our safety records.
“Delays have nothing to do with capacity, we have enough planes , just last week,.we experienced two bird strikes in Owerri and Port-Harcourt and 26 flights were affected, only two percent are caused by internal factors, therefore we have decided to take care of the factors that are not caused by us, we want to see reduction in complaints and delays”, he added.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had recently in compliance with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs) 2022 (Consumer Protection) Regulations 2023, sanctioned some airlines over over consumer rights infractions ranging from flight delays to delay or refusal to refund passengers.
Director General, (NCAA Capt. Chris Najomo, had lamented that flight delays and cancellations have imposed huge discomforts on passengers, businesses, the credibility of the aviation industry and national development as a whole.
Najomo insisted that it behooves the airlines to ensure that every disruption is handled well and with the utmost professionalism and respect for passengers’ rights.
He insisted that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations on Consumer Protection were not optional but mandatory obligations. He restated that the regulations ensured that passengers were promptly informed of schedule changes, delays or cancellations, accommodation, refreshments, alternative travel arrangements and other compensations, depending on the length of the delays
