Air Peace remains committed to ordering 10 Boeing 737 MAX, said Allen Onyema, CEO of the Nigerian airline last week.
The executive told All Africa that Air Peace will renew its fleet with Boeing jets: “We are not phasing out our Boeing aircraft, part of our business plan is that as we are getting the brand new planes, we would be phasing out the old ones, but remember that we are bringing in brand new Boeing 737 Max.”
The statement was made during the arrival ceremony of Embraer’s second E195-E2. Air Peace is the first African operator of the largest passenger plane of the Brazilian planemaker and plans to receive another three units of the model.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nigeria announced the end of the ban on the 737 MAX in February, paving the way for Air Peace to receive the first aircraft. Despite this, there is still no prediction as to when Boeing will begin deliveries.
Old fleet
Currently, Air Peace has 13 old 737 jets, with an average age of almost 25 years. In addition to them, there are three Boeing 777s responsible for long-haul flights, eight ERJ 145s, with less demand routes, and a German Dornier Do328Jet plane.
The company has concentrated its flight network in West Africa and in some long-distance destinations such as Johannesburg and the United Arab Emirates, but intends to fly to Europe and North America.
Due to COVID-19, 20 of its planes are undergoing maintenance abroad.
