Air Peace Airlines has refuted recent media reports alleging safety breaches during its operations in the United Kingdom, saying they were exaggerated.
Recent media reports indicated that the London Gatwick Airport filed two compulsory occurrence reports to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) against the Nigerian flag carrier’s operations at the airport. The reports further stated that the UK’s Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) wrote to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on alleged safety violations of the carrier in London.
However, in a statement released on Monday, the airline confirmed that the UK CAA asked questions, which were promptly resolved, leading to the matter being resolved without any issues. It emphasised that it holds the necessary Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) approvals from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and all its Boeing 777 aircraft are certified to operate with EFBs.
The airline said it was shocked and disappointed that several media publications surfaced with exaggerated concerns that were closed over a month ago with the relevant authorities.
“Air Peace received approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and all our Boeing 777 aircraft are certified to operate with EFBs. Regarding the claim that our B777 aircraft lacks iPad mounts and charging ports in the flight deck, this is incorrect. All B777 aircraft are equipped with charging ports in the cockpit and we ensure that all our B777 aircraft have iPad mounts” the statement said.
Addressing the issue of the captain’s choice of runway for a landing, it said “there was also a concern about the captain’s choice of runway exit after landing. Instead of exiting at the middle runway exit, the captain, out of his professional discretion, opted to exit at the end of the runway.
“We acknowledge this deviation and have addressed the matter with the captain to ensure adherence to preferred exit procedures in the future. Ramp Inspection is a normal procedure carried out by aviation authorities globally, and the UK CAA did the right thing by notifying the NCAA of the outcome of their inspection.”
The airline assured its valued passengers and the public that it remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety, and security in all its operations.