NCAA Reiterates Call for Compliance, Urges Air Peace to Improve Flight Schedules

DG NCAA, Capt. Chirs Najomo

…Airline affirms Safety of Operations

The Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo, on Friday night again reiterated the call for regulatory compliance by airlines in the country and called on Air Peace to urgently improve its domestic operations following a surge in complaints from passengers over persistent flight delays and cancellations.

Captain Najomo issued the directive at a meeting held at the instance of the agency in Abuja with members of the airline’s management.

Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest domestic carrier, was advised to scale down its operations in line with the number of serviceable aircraft currently in its fleet.

The airline acknowledged that it was experiencing operational challenges, which it described as not uncommon in the aviation industry, and assured the regulator that efforts were underway to resolve them.

While reiterating the NCAA’s commitment to supporting domestic airlines, Captain Najomo emphasized the need for strict adherence to regulatory requirements and international best practices.

He further warned that the Authority is stepping up its oversight and will intensify monitoring of flight operations across the country.

In its response, the affirmed the safety of its operations adding that whilst it fully empathizes with it esteemed passengers who experience discomfort, inconvenience, or disrupted plans due to flight delays or cancellations. It does 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.” It says in an electronic document available to journalists.

It says “we deeply appreciate the NCAA’s consistent efforts in ensuring that all airlines operating within the country, including Air Peace, adhere strictly to global safety standards and regulatory compliance. While we hold the NCAA in the highest regard as the regulatory authority overseeing aviation in Nigeria, we believe it is essential to set the record straight.”

“At Air Peace, safety is and will always remain our cardinal priority. These delays and cancellations are dictated by safety considerations.”

Chairman of Air Peace, Mr. Allen

Furthermore, the airline noted that “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.”

“For instance, today, one of our aircraft experienced a bird strike, which damaged the engine while landing in Enugu. The aircraft was immediately grounded and withdrawn from operation in accordance with safety protocol.”

“This aircraft had been scheduled to service multiple routes today, and its unavailability has had a direct ripple effect on operations for those routes. This kind of situation is completely beyond the control of any airline, but again, our priority is the safety of our passengers.

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. 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.

We remain focused on serving our passengers with dignity, professionalism, and above all, unwavering adherence to safety standards.”