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Air Peace: Why our services were disrupted, lost $15m
Air Peace Limited has attributed the sudden disruptions in its domestic operations to the “illegal” withdrawal of three aircraft by its wet lessor, Smartlynx Airlines, adding that owing to this, it has lost $15 million.
The Chief Commercial Officer of the largest airline in Nigeria, Nowel Ngala, disclosed this at a news conference he addressed in Lagos.
According to Ngala, Air Peace has experienced a number of operational disruptions, resulting in flight delays and cancellations.
He said that Air Peace entered a wet-lease agreement with Smartlynx because 13 of its aircraft were undergoing scheduled maintenance abroad.
According to him, to avoid service gaps and ensure Nigerians would continue to travel conveniently, the airline leased aircraft from SmartLynx.
He said that the sudden withdrawal of the three aircraft was illegal and a breach of contract.
Ngala said that the withdrawal inflicted financial loss and reputational damage to Air Peace and the Nigerian travelling public.
He said: “This withdrawal was done without prior notice.
“It is a clear violation of industry standards and of an agreement between both parties.
“What makes this even more concerning is that SmartLynx had collected money upfront from Air Peace.”
Ngala said that the lessor claimed that the owners of the aircraft wanted them withdrawn.
He added: “Over $5 million of our money, including over $1 million paid as security deposits for those aircraft, are with them (SmartLynx).
“This situation has caused over $15 million in damages to Air Peace.
“These aircraft had already been rostered for scheduled flights, and their sudden removal created significant gaps in our operations.”
Ngala said that Air Peace had released three of the aircraft to the owners in good faith.
According to him, one more aircraft remains, and the airline is requesting for a refund.
He said that was not the first time Air Peace was placed in a difficult situation by a lessor.
According to him, a lessor had “vanished” with over $2 million from Air Peace in the guise that it was taking a leased aircraft for maintenance.
He said that the aircraft was never returned and the fund unaccounted for.
He added: “These actions, unfortunately, reflect the challenges Nigerian carriers often face in international leasing arrangements.
“We cannot allow that to happen again.”
According to Ngala, in spite of the challenges, Air Peace has completed its aircraft maintenance and two have arrived for services.
He said that the airline hoped to resume full operations across all its routes from next week as more of its aircraft would return.
He said: “We regret the difficulties our passengers have experienced, and we appreciate their patience and understanding throughout this period.
“Air Peace remains firmly committed to providing safe, reliable and world-class flight services.
“We assure the Nigerian public that we are taking every necessary step to prevent such disruptions in the future and to hold all defaulting partners accountable.”
Ngala said that the airline’s London flights had not been disrupted.
President Donald Trump said Monday in an interview with CBS that the war with Iran was “very complete” and that the United States was far ahead of his initial timeline of around a month.
US stocks jumped higher and oil prices sank in after-hours trading following Trump’s comments, despite the fact that there were no immediate signs of the conflict abating.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force,” Trump told CBS News by phone.
“Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones,” he added. “If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.”
Trump told the US broadcaster that the United States was “very far” ahead of his initially stated war time frame of four or five weeks.
The US leader has given similar assessments in recent days of battle damage from the US-Israeli strikes that began on February 28, but had not gone as far in saying that the war was nearing an end.
Just last Friday, Trump issued a statement that Iran’s “unconditional surrender” was the only acceptable outcome for ending the war.
And his comments came about an hour after the Pentagon posted on social media that the United States had “only just begun to fight.”
CBS reported that when asked if he thought the war could wrap up soon, Trump answered: “Wrapping up is all in my mind, nobody else’s.”
Trump also threatened Iran if it tried to close the Strait of Hormuz, the shipping lane where oil tanker transit has already virtually halted, sending energy prices soaring around the world.
He said he was “thinking about taking it over” even as he insisted that traffic was starting to move.
The US president however had few words for Iran’s new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who was elected to replace his slain father Ali Khamenei.
“I have no message for him. None, whatsoever,” Trump said, adding that he had someone else in mind to lead Iran.
Trump earlier told the New York Post he was “not happy” with Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment.
AFP
Nollywood icon Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has opened up about the strength and trust that have sustained her 30-year marriage, revealing she has never had to confront her husband over infidelity.
In an interview on the Afropolitan podcast, the actress and philanthropist described her union with husband Matthew Ekeinde as built on mutual trust, selflessness, and zero ego clashes. She emphasized that she has never fought over another woman in their three decades together.
“I’ve been married to him now 30 years. I’ve never fought over a girl, you know?” Omotola said. “He doesn’t disturb me. If I have to go to my work, I go to my work. I come back. He trusts me totally. I trust him.”
The mother of four stressed that divorce is not an option for her personally, though she made it clear she is not against it for others.
“Divorce is not an option for me. It doesn’t mean it’s not an option for you. Let’s get that straight. I’m not against divorce,” she clarified. “I just always believe that marriage is a very personal thing. My marriage can never be the same thing as your marriage. No two marriages are the same because no two persons are the same.”
Omotola explained that every relationship has different “ingredients,” and what works for her may not apply to others facing trust issues or betrayal.
“You might be dealing with someone that has broken your trust and you’re trying to build that back,” she noted. “So those things are different… For me, how do you want to penetrate? It’s going to be very hard because I know this person. I’ve been with this person for 30 years, since I was 18.”
The veteran actress praised her husband’s character, describing him as “very selfless” and free of ego, qualities she credits for the peace and longevity of their marriage.
With over three decades in the acting profession, Omotola is known for movies like Blood Sister, RattleSnake: The Ahanna Story, Alter Ego, amongst others.
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has warned that petrol prices could surge to nearly N2,000 per litre if current trends persist.
This is following Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals’ hike of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), to N1,175 per litre from N995 on Monday.
PETROAN urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) to urgently boost domestic refining capacity to insulate Nigeria from global petroleum market shocks. PETROAN president, Dr Billy Gillis-Harry said, “PMS could rise close to N2,000 per litre while AGO may approach N3,000 per litre if the situation persists,” Dr Harry warned.
PETROAN specifically called on NNPC Group CEO Engr. Bayo Ojulari to restart production at local refineries, including the Area 5 Plant at Port Harcourt and Warri Refinery, which operated briefly before shutting down for profitability assessments.
Dr Harry linked the volatility to the Israel-US-Iran conflict, with drone and missile attacks disrupting oil routes and supply chains. Before the crisis, he noted, petrol sold at N774 per litre (now over N1,000, up 30 per cent) and diesel (AGO) at N950 (now N1,400+, up 49 per cent).He stressed rehabilitating government refineries to leverage Nigeria’s crude reserves under NNPC custody, making them less vulnerable than import-reliant private ones.
Continued hikes, he warned, would fuel inflation, job losses, economic hardship, higher transport costs, and pricier goods—PMS powers daily mobility, AGO industry.
Dr Harry lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s oil and gas reforms, urging him to order immediate refinery restarts for citizen relief and economic stimulus.
Iran war ‘pretty much’ over – Trump
‘I’ve never fought my husband over infidelity’ – Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde
Petrol May Hit N2,000 per Litre Amid Refinery Price Hike, PETROAN Warns
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