Air Peace has accused its lessor, SmartLynx Airlines, of unlawful aircraft withdrawal that caused widespread flight disruptions and multimillion-dollar losses.
Air Peace has accused its aircraft lessor, SmartLynx Airlines, of contract breach and unprofessional conduct after the abrupt withdrawal of three wet-leased aircraft, a move the airline says triggered significant flight delays and cancellations. The claims were made by the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, Nowel Ngala, during a press conference in Lagos on Friday, according to BUSINESS NEWS.
Ngala explained that Air Peace entered the wet-lease agreement because 13 of its aircraft were undergoing scheduled maintenance abroad. “To avoid service gaps and ensure Nigerians could continue to travel conveniently, Air Peace leased aircraft from SmartLynx,” he said. However, he noted that SmartLynx withdrew four aircraft “without prior notice, a clear violation of industry standards.”
He alleged that SmartLynx collected money upfront despite owing the actual owners of the aircraft. “Over $5 million of Air Peace money including over a million dollars paid as security deposits for those aircraft are with them… this situation has caused Air Peace over 15 million dollars in damages,” he stated.
Ngala said other airlines globally had similar experiences with SmartLynx, describing the actions as “fraudulent” and harmful to Nigerian passengers. He also recalled a previous incident in which SYPHAX Airlines “vanished with over two million USD.”
Despite the challenges, he confirmed that two aircraft have returned from maintenance and full operations will resume next week. He assured passengers of improved reliability going forward.