- By Halimah Olamide
Air Peace received approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and all our Boeing 777 aircraft are certified to operate with EFBs
Nigerian airline, Air Peace, has debunked allegations of a safety breach in the United Kingdom, describing it as falsehood.
The airline made the clarification in a statement via its X account on Monday.
According to the statement, since the beginning of their London flight operations, it has been under intense scrutiny by the relevant authorities.
Meanwhile, earlier reports stated that the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA), raised concerns over Air Peace’s compliance with some safety regulations in the UK.
The UK aviation authority alleged that findings showed Air Peace was using electronic flight bag (EFB) functions without operational approval.
Therefore, countering these claims, Air Peace wrote;
“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.
“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.
“Another issue raised by the UK CA was the location of our cockpit library on the B777. The B777 designates two locations for storing manuals and books: one behind the captain and one under the jumpseat. During the inspection, the books were stored under the jumpseat, as is commonly practised.
“We understand the inspector’s preference for the books to be placed behind the captain and have ensured this preference is accommodated for all operations going forward. There was also a concern about the captain’s choice of runway exit after landing.
“Instead of exiting at the middle runway exit, the captain, out of his professional discretion, opted to exit at the end of the runway.
“This may have delayed the arrival of another aircraft. We acknowledge this deviation and have addressed the matter with the captain to ensure adherence to preferred exit procedures in the future.
“Ramp Inspection is a normal procedure carried out by aviation authorities globally, and the UK CA did the right thing by notifying the NCAA of the outcome of their inspection.
“However, we are shocked to see several media publications with exaggerated and sensationalised accounts of this matter that was closed with the authorities over a month ago. It is unprofessional for the media to publish slanted and alarmist reports to create public panic and impugn our deeply ingrained safety culture.
Air Peace’s safety record is second to none, and we go above and beyond to comply with all established safety standards. Safety is the bedrock of our operations, and we have robust operational mechanisms to guarantee full compliance always.