Airlines Air Peace orders five new E175 for fleet expansion and renewal

West Africa’s largest airline Air Peace has announced that it has placed a new aircraft order with Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. Air Peace has ordered five new Embraer E175 aircraft that will expand the airline’s network and will also make operations more efficient, modern and reliable.

It is a strategic decision to order the new aircraft for the carrier, as Air Peace plans to become the largest and most modern operator in Africa. Especially the regional network in West Africa will benefit from the new aircraft, which will be delivered from next year on.

The E175s will be configured to accommodate 88 passengers in total. Air Peace is an existing Embraer customer, as it already operates with five Embraer E195-E2 and also eight older Embraer ERJ-145. These smaller E175 aircraft will allow the operator to dynamically match capacity to demand, protecting yields and route viability.

The Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyema, commented: "This is another important step in helping to realize our ambition to connect the whole of Nigeria with the entire African continent, while also feeding passengers into long-haul flights from our Lagos hub. The acquisition enables us to continue delivering on our ‘no-city-left-behind’ initiative – connectivity is what our passengers, and Africa, demand. The deal also paves the way to establish local maintenance capabilities in Nigeria, with direct support from Embraer.”

Stephan Hannemann, VP Sales & Marketing, Head of Africa & Middle East Region, Commercial Aviation, added: “Air Peace’s strategic and innovative approach continues to make them a powerhouse of aviation success in West Africa. Already an E2 operator, it now makes sense to upgauge their ERJ145 fleet, offering passengers more seats and comfort with the E175. The commonality of the cockpits between the E1 and E2 fleet also simplifies aircrew costs and management. Acknowledging Air Peace's significant investment in the acquisition of the Embraer fleet of aircraft, which has increased to 18 brand new firm aircraft to date, Embraer, in partnership with Air Peace is committed to directly supporting the establishment of local maintenance capabilities in Nigeria”

Air Peace was founded 10 years ago in 2013 and has its main operational base located at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Nigeria. The airline operates with two Airbus A320s, 12 Boeing 737s, three Boeing 777s, five Embraer E195-E2s and eight Embraer ERJ-145s.