In a statement released on Friday, Air Peace responded to recent warnings from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) regarding the airline's operational capacity. The NCAA had earlier expressed concerns about frequent flight disruptions, suggesting that Air Peace might be operating more routes than its available aircraft could sustainably manage. The Director General of the NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, had specifically urged Air Peace to "immediately improve its domestic operations" due to numerous complaints from the traveling public about chronic delays and cancellations.
However, Air Peace countered these insinuations, asserting that safety, not profit, remains its core business priority. The airline also clarified that its fleet size exceeds the number of aircraft scheduled for daily operations.
"At Air Peace, safety is and will always remain our cardinal priority," the airline's management declared in its statement. "These delays and cancellations are dictated by safety considerations."
The airline expressed empathy for passengers inconvenienced by flight disruptions but firmly stated its commitment to prioritizing safety above all else. "We fully empathise with our esteemed passengers who experience discomfort, inconvenience, or disrupted plans due to flight delays or cancellations. However, we do not regret taking operational decisions rooted in the protection of human lives and in strict adherence to safety standards. If weather conditions, technical parameters, or operational standards fall short of what is safe, we will not operate that flight."
Addressing the NCAA's caution for the airline to align its operations with its resources, Air Peace clarified its fleet capacity. "It is also important to clarify a key statement allegedly credited to the NCAA, that Air Peace should reduce the size of its operations to align with available aircraft. While we understand the spirit of that recommendation, we must clearly state that Air Peace has more aircraft available than are currently rostered for daily operations. Therefore, any delays or cancellations we've experienced have absolutely nothing to do with fleet shortage."
Air Peace maintained that the primary reasons for flight cancellations and delays are often beyond any airline's control, emphasizing that such decisions are ultimately made in the best interest of passenger safety.
"It is to be stated that every decision Air Peace has taken since the inception of this airline, whether resulting in a delay, cancellation, or suspension of flight, has been taken in the best interest of safety. And if such situations occur again, we will do the same because we are not ready to compromise safety," the airline affirmed.
The statement concluded with a strong reiteration of the airline's unwavering commitment to safety: "We do not cancel any flight for the fun of it. It is not our policy to delay or cancel flights without due cause, and when we do, we are often the greater loser financially. We will never sacrifice safety for convenience, comfort, speed, or profit."