One of Africa’s fastest growing airlines, Air Peace on Thursday took delivery of its third brand new Embraer 195-E2 aircraft.
The airline revealed that it will take delivery of all 13 Embraer 195-E2 aircraft it placed firm order for from Embraer Aircraft Manufacturing Company in São José dos Campos, Brazil by the end of 2022.
The airline also said it will activate payment for additional 10 aircraft type immediately the delivery is completed, which will bring total arrivals to 23 aircraft.
The new aircraft with registration number 5N-BYF, named Helen Ekwusi Onyema, touched down at the airport about 2.00 pm and was greeted with a water salute by men of fire service department of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, spoke before the aircraft touched down at Nnamdi Azikiwe international Airport.
According to him, two aircrafts would join its fleet by August, and that by year’s end the airline would have taken delivery of eight of the aircraft.
Onyema had in 2019, announced the acquisition of 30 Embraer 195-E2 aircraft, which included 13 firm orders and 17 purchase right orders from Embraer Aircraft Company.
He said the new additions would be deployed to new routes in local, regional and international scenes.
The Air Peace boss stated further that the aircraft would be deployed to strengthen West Coast and open other African region with the inclusion of other routes like Douala (Cameroon), Kinshasa (Congo), Naimey (Niger), Dakar (Senegal) as well as Freetown (Sierra-Leone)
According to him, the acquisition of 30 brand new airplanes would further create additional 17,000 jobs for technical personnel in the country, while it presently has 10,000 workforce.
Also present at the welcome ceremony was Managing Director/CEO, Fidelity Bank PLC. Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe.
She expressed delight at the changes Air Peace had brought into the sector in recent years, promising that the bank would continue to collaborate with the airline in its bid to enhance safety and changes in the sector.
