The Air Peace says it has placed a firm order for five Embraer E175 aircraft for fleet expansion and renewal.

The airline’s Chief Executive Officer, Allen Onyema, made this known in a statement issued on Friday, September 15, 2023.

Onyema described the acquisition of more aircraft as a strategic decision in line with the airline’s ongoing modernising of its fleet.

He said the acquisition was also in line with the airline’s determination to become the operator of the largest and youngest fleet of aircraft in Africa.

The Air Peace boss disclosed that the value of the order is $288.3 million at the list price.

Onyema said: “This reinforces Air Peace’s commitment to enhancing its domestic and regional network connectivity and paves the way for further regional expansion, deliveries of the 88-seat aircraft start in 2024.

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“Already an operator of Embraer’s newest and largest jet, the E195-E2, these smaller aircraft will complement the airline’s existing fleet, allowing Air Peace to dynamically match capacity to demand protecting yields and route viability.

“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.”

He stated that the acquisition will enable the airline to continue delivering on its ‘no-city-left-behind’ initiative, which he said was the connectivity that the passengers and Africa demand.

The Air Peace CEO added that the deal would also pave the way to establish local maintenance capabilities in Nigeria, with direct support from Embraer.

Onyema said: “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 up gauge 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.”

Onyema further quoted Stephan Hannemann, Embraer VP Sales and Marketing, Head of Africa and Middle East Region, Commercial Aviation, as saying the Embraer, in partnership with Air Peace, is committed to supporting establishment of local maintenance capabilities.

He said the move was to express acknowledging Air Peace’s significant investment in the acquisition of the Embraer fleet of aircraft, which had increased to 18 brand new firm aircraft to date.

Embraer is a global aerospace company headquartered in Brazil. It has businesses in commercial and executive aviation, defense and security, and agricultural aviation.

The company maintains industrial units, offices, service and parts distribution centers, among other activities, across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

The Star