Nigeria’s Air Peace is reported to be eyeing up the Boeing 787 to add to its existing Boeing-focused fleet.
Dreamliners
In a webcast, Air Peace Chief Executive Officer, Allen Onyema, declared they were in discussions with Boeing over the move.
The announcement was made during a SkyConnect Leadership Dialogue webcast hosted by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) in February of this year.
When asked about the carrier’s fleet plans, Onyema ventured”…we are also discussing with Boeing for the Dreamliner, which I feel will come very soon.”
Onyema also confirmed the Lagos-based airline was awaiting the delivery of 15 of Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft – this included seven 737-8 and eight 737-10 variants.
Air Peace is also reported to have an outstanding order for eight of Embraer’s new generation E-Jet, the E195-E2s. It has already received five out of a total order of thirteen.
The airline also has Boeing 777s and Boeing 737s (-300 and -500 variants). It also wet-leases eight Airbus A320s from SmartLynx airlines.
Recent network expansions outside of Africa have been announced, building on its existing long-haul routes. The airline announced new routes to Mumbai, India and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Mumbai is set to start on 31 March 2023.
Other long haul destinations include Dubai, UAE and Guangzhou, China.
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Halted Deliveries
The announcement follows recent reports that Boeing has halted deliveries of its 787s to operators. As reported by AviationSource, it is reported Boeing has experience documentation issues relating to the forward pressure bulkhead.
As a result of the news, Boeing shares fell by almost 3%. The aircraft manufacturer is awaiting US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval.
It was also recently announced two of the oldest 787s were being retired and dismantled for spare parts.
The aircraft are both ex-Norwegian Air Shuttle aircraft, currently registered as VP-CVL (ex LN-LNA) and VP-CVM (ex LN-LNB). The earliest entered service in 2015.
However, the discussions from Air Peace, and the recent announcements by Saudia and Riyadh Air, will bring some welcome good news to the 787 production line.
