The Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, has announced that the airline has set aside three aircraft as operational backups to reduce flight delays and cancellations.

He explained that the standby planes are intended to address passenger complaints by stepping in whenever any of the airline’s active aircraft experience minor or major technical issues.

Onyema made this disclosure during a press briefing at the airline’s corporate headquarters in Lagos.

He clarified that many delays and cancellations were beyond the airline’s control but assured that the reserved aircraft would always be available to serve passengers and minimise disruptions.

“We have increased our buffer from one aircraft to three. What this means is that we now have three aircraft parked in case any aircraft develops either a minor or major fault, be it a bird strike or whatever. This is to further tackle flight delays or cancellations,” he said.

The Air Peace boss explained that delays resulting from bird strikes, adverse weather, runway maintenance, and similar factors were beyond any airline’s control. He appealed to Nigerians to support and see Air Peace as their own.

He further stated that Nigeria has been unfairly stigmatised by foreign nations, adding that the country can break free from such narratives when its citizens choose to support and appreciate their own.

Onyema also noted a recent surge in complaints against the airline, which he attributed to Air Peace’s large capacity and growing presence in the aviation sector.

“For instance, if Air Peace experiences a 30 per cent delay, the number would be about 32 flights compared to an airline that has its own 30 per cent to be three or six flights,” he said.

Onyema revealed that Air Peace currently operates a fleet of 49 aircraft, with 36 fully owned and four on wet lease.

He added that the airline is set to commence operations to the Caribbean, China, and India by September.

“We are connecting Nigerians in the Diaspora. We started these operations some months ago, we flew to St. Kitts, we also transported over 200 passengers to Jamaica, we have increased our B777 to four because our China operations will soon start. We are already discussing the acquisition of wide-bodied aircraft based on a wet lease arrangement,” he said.