Nigerian carrier Air Peace on Monday confirmed the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) letter to Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority, adding that all issues raised, including the use of Electronic Flight Bag (EFB), stands resolved.
In a press statement, the carrier responded to some media reports alleging a safety breach by Air Peace in the United Kingdom, which it said contain a lot of falsehood aimed at creating fears and doubts in the minds of the flying public.
The statement explained that from the commencement of its inaugural flight to London, its operations have been subjected to intense scrutiny by the relevant authorities,
‘which we most welcome as we pride ourselves in our continued pursuit of operational excellence and unwavering commitment to the safety and security of our esteemed passengers.’
“We can confirm that the UK Civil Aviation Authority wrote to Air Peace, after their statutory Ramp Inspection on April 7, 2024, to request clarification on our use of the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and some other concerns. We provided the necessary information, and the matter was resolved without any issues."
“It is therefore, wrong to say we do not have approval for our EFB. Air Peace received approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and all our Boeing 777 aircraft are certified to operate with EFBs."
Earlier, on the alleged violation, the accusation was filed in two mandatory occurrence reports to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) against Air Peace’s operations at the airport.
The UK aviation authority had accused Nigeria’s indigenous carrier, Air Peace of violating the London Gatwick Airport safety rules.
The Air Peace’s violation was listed in a safety violation document entitled, ‘United Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report’ with reference number: CAA-UK, -2024-0217.
The UK’s Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) also wrote to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to notify it about alleged safety violations of the carrier in London.
As per certain sections of media, the NCAA subsequently sent a letter to Air Peace’s Chief Executive Officer, that carried a reference number: NCAA/DOLTS/APL/Vol.11/03624.
The letter read as,
“United Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report’ was dated May 14, 2024, and signed by the General Manager (Operations), Capt. O.O. Lawani on behalf of the Director-General of NCAA.
“You are required to notify the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) of your corrective actions on these findings,” the letter added further.
As per the regulator NCAA, it received a SAFA Ramp Inspection Report numbered CAA-UK-2024-0217 which was conducted at London Gatwick on April 7, 2024, at 09:33 local time ‘on your B777-200 aircraft with registration Number 5N-BE (S/N 28324)’.
Providing highlights of the letter, the NCAA said the UK-CAA had called its attention to the no operational approval of Electronic Flight Bag functions affecting the safe operation of the aircraft, while adding that the captain of the flight admitted that an Electronic Flight Bag was being used for navigational purposes.
The NCAA further took a note from the letter that the UK-CAA stated in its letter that there was no mounting device for the use of the Electronic Flight Bag, and no charging points or battery for backup.
As per the carrier, 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.
Worth mentioning that, earlier there was an Alleged refusal of London Gatwick Airport (LGW) authorities to allow Air Peace to perform traditional water salutation for the inaugural flight on March 30.
