The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) has raised serious safety concerns with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) regarding alleged safety violations by Air Peace, a Nigerian airline thatrecently commenced flights on the Lagos-London route.
This route, which began operationsjustthree months ago, hasalreadyprompted the UK CAA to issue two mandatory occurrence reports (MORs) about AirPeace’ssafety practices.
The reports, titled‘United Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report’(reference number: CAA-UK, -2024-0217) and‘NATS Management System Safety Report,’were forwarded to the NCAA for further investigation.
The reports highlight significant safety concerns, particularlyrelated to theairline’suse of Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) functions.
The UKCAA’sinspection revealed several critical issues, stating that Air Peace lacked the necessary operational approvals for using EFB functions.
EFBs are essential for the safe operation of modern aircraft, providing pilots with critical flight data,navigationalcharts, and other necessary information electronically.
It said the captain of an Air Peace flight admitted that EFBs were being used for navigational purposes without the required mounting devices, charging points, or backup batteries.
The UK authorities noted that the improper useposes significant risks, as it can lead tothe loss of critical flight information during operations.
In response, the NCAA has contacted Air Peace for clarification.
A letter from the NCAA, titled“United Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report,”was sent on May 14, 2024, and signed by Capt. O.O. Lawani, the NCAA General Manager of Operations.
The letter seeks a detailed explanation from Air Peace regarding the issues raised by the UK CAA and demands immediate corrective actions to ensure compliance with safety regulations.
Air Peace, which launched its Lagos to London Gatwick flights under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the UK, has notyetpublicly responded to theNCAA’sinquiry or the UKCAA’sfindings.
Allen Onyema, the CEO of Air Peace, has previously allegedbothinternal and external conspiracies against Nigerian airlines.
