During a press conference on Friday in Lagos, Nowel Ngala, Air Peace’s Chief Commercial Officer, explained that the airline had entered a wet-lease agreement with SmartLynx to temporarily supplement its operations while 13 of its own aircraft underwent scheduled maintenance abroad.
“To avoid service gaps and ensure Nigerians could continue to travel conveniently, Air Peace leased aircraft from SmartLynx during peak travel periods,” Ngala said. “The abrupt and unjustified withdrawal of four leased aircraft disrupted our operations and violated industry standards as well as the terms of our agreement.”
Ngala further alleged that SmartLynx had collected payments upfront from Air Peace despite being aware that the rightful aircraft owners intended to reclaim the planes due to defaulted payments. He estimated the financial impact on Air Peace at over $15 million, including more than $5 million in upfront payments and security deposits.
The chief commercial officer emphasized that the sudden withdrawal affected not only Air Peace but also other airlines leasing aircraft from SmartLynx globally, suggesting a broader pattern of unprofessional conduct. “We consider this action a serious breach of contract, fraudulent, and premeditated, inflicting financial loss and reputational damage to Air Peace and the Nigerian traveling public,” he said.
Ngala noted that Air Peace has returned three of the aircraft in good faith and is seeking reimbursement of the associated funds. He drew parallels to a previous leasing dispute with SYPHAX Airlines of Tunisia, which vanished with over $2 million from Air Peace and failed to return leased aircraft.
Despite the setbacks, Ngala confirmed that some of Air Peace’s aircraft have completed maintenance and are returning to service. “Two aircraft have already arrived, and we expect to resume full operations across all routes next week as more aircraft return,” he said, expressing gratitude to passengers for their patience.
Air Peace reaffirmed its commitment to providing safe, reliable, and world-class flight services and stated that it would take necessary steps to prevent future disruptions and hold defaulting partners accountable.