Keyamo speaks on Air Peace safety violations allegations by UK regulator

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has spoken on the recent reports alleging safety violations by Air Peace, the country’s flag carrier, at Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) recently alleged Air Peace has reportedly violated some aviation safety regulations.

The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority reportedly received two mandatory occurrence reports on Air Peace.

UK CAA’s letter of complaint forwarded to the NCAA was titled “United Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report” with reference number CAA-UK-2024-0217 and “NATS Management System Safety Report.”

Air Peace, however, dismissed reports of alleged safety breaches in the United Kingdom, stating that ramp inspection issues were resolved with UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Air Peace’s spokesperson, Stanley Olisa, confirmed the UK CAA’s letter to the NCAA but said the issues raised had since been resolved.

Olisa said the publication was false and was meant to create fears and doubts in the minds of the flying public.

According to him, since Air Peace’s inaugural flight to the UK, the airline has been subjected to rigorous scrutiny by relevant authorities.

He said the UK CAA had on April 7 requested clarification on the airline’s use of the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and some other concerns, which were immediately addressed and settled.

“It is, therefore, wrong to say that the airline did not have approval for EFB. 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 lack 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,” Olisa said.

Keyamo, in a statement on Wednesday, said he has been briefed on the progress made thus far on this issue by the Acting Director General of the NCAA.

He added that the Federal Government has full confidence in the continued safety of the operations of all Nigerian flag carriers designated on different international routes, including Air Peace and will continue to support them in pursuit of world-class operational excellence.