…passengers stranded nationwide.

Scores of passengers of Air Peace are stranded at airports across the country following the withdrawal of three of its aircraft by SmartLynx Airlines, one of its lessors. Consequently, many of its operations have been disrupted as the airline is in serious limbo, as many of its aircraft are grounded, while others are undergoing maintenance checks overseas.

The airline is witnessing unprecedented flight delays and cancellations, a situation that has made air travel cumbersome for many of its passengers. Speaking to journalists on Friday in its office in Lagos, the Chief Commercial Officer of Air the airline, Nowel Ngala, said that the company entered a wet-lease agreement with Smartlynx because 13 of its aircraft are currently undergoing scheduled maintenance abroad.

“To avoid service gaps and ensure Nigerians could continue to travel conveniently, Air Peace leased aircraft from SmartLynx in a bid to support Nigerian passengers during peak travel periods.

“The disruptions were caused by the abrupt and unjustified withdrawal of four aircraft we wet-leased from SmartLynx Airlines. This withdrawal was done without prior notice, a clear violation of industry standards and of the agreement between both parties.

“What makes this even more concerning is that SmartLynx had collected money upfront from Air Peace, fully aware that the rightful owners of those aircraft would be withdrawing their aircraft from them because they have been in default of payments to the said owners,” he said.

He disclosed that over $5million of Air Peace money, including over a million dollars paid as security deposits for those aircraft, are with them, while they are about to run away from Nigeria, and this situation has caused Air Peace over 15 million dollars in damages.

Just last week, the airline took delivery of its first B737-800 aircraft from Aer- cap, on a dry lease basis; a cheaper aircraft financing option for airlines.