Nigerian airline Air Peace has reacted to the allegation that it is ‘violating’ safety measures in the United Kingdom.
Air Peace made this clarification in a statement on Monday.
The company said its operations have been under intense scrutiny by the relevant authorities since its inaugural flight to London in April.
Reports had said the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) raised concerns over Air Peace’s compliance with some safety regulations.
However, the airline described the report as false and added that approval was obtained from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA.
“Our attention has been drawn to media reports alleging a safety breach by Air Peace in the United Kingdom, which contain a lot of falsehood aimed at creating fears and doubts in the minds of the flying public.
“Since the commencement of our inaugural flight to London, the relevant authorities have scrutinized our operations intensely. This is most welcome as we pride ourselves on our continued pursuit of operational excellence and unwavering commitment to the safety and security of our esteemed passengers.
“We can confirm that the UK Civil Aviation Authority wrote to Air Peace, after their statutory Ramp Inspection on April 7, 2024, to request clarification on our use of the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and some other concerns. We provided the necessary information, and the matter was resolved without any issues.
“It is, therefore, wrong to say we do not have approval for our EFB. Air Peace received approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and all our Boeing 777 aircraft are certified to operate with EFBs,” it said.
Air Peace said the claim that the B777 aircraft lacked iPad mounts and charging ports in the flight deck was incorrect.
The airline said, “All B777 aircraft are equipped with charging ports in the cockpit, and we ensure that all our B777 aircraft have iPad mounts.”
“Another issue raised by the UK CAA was the location of our cockpit library on the B777. The B777 designates two locations for storing manuals and books: one behind the captain and one under the jumpseat.
“Ramp Inspection is a normal procedure carried out by aviation authorities globally, and the UKCAA did the right thing by notifying the NCAA of the inspection outcome.
Recall that operations at London Gatwick commenced from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in March under Nigeria’s Bilateral Air Services Agreement with the UK—development, which later led to price reduction in the Lagos- London route.
