Following the concern generated by the crash of Boeing 737 Max aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airlines which killed 157 people on Sunday, Nigerian carrier, Air Peace on Monday clarified that it has not taken delivery of the aircraft it ordered for five months ago.
It would be recalled that the airline had on September 2018 signed a whooping $1.1bn deal with the American plane maker, Boeing for the delivery of 10 Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
But there have been widespread safety concerns over the aircraft type following the Ethiopian airline crash where two Nigerians also lost their lives.
Sunday’s incident happened barely four months after a similar aircraft operated by Lion Air in Indonesia crashed and killed 189 souls on board.
In Nigeria, there have been fears over the Air Peace order for the same aircraft even as some countries have grounded the 737 Max aircraft in their fleet pending when the technical glitches with the plane were resolved.
Air Peace in a statement by its Corporate Communication Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah said, though it placed a firm order for the aircraft, it was yet to take delivery of them, adding, “we are still at the design and configuration stage of the order”.
According to the carrier, the clarification became necessary in view of numerous calls and enquiries on the incidents involving the B737 Max 8 aircraft.
It said, “Although it is premature to comment on the incidents, we wish to assure members of the flying public that we are closely following and monitoring developments on the issue as an airline that prioritises the safety and well-being of our customers.
“While we keep engaging with our partners in this regard, we repose implicit confidence in Boeing and aviation authorities to capably and satisfactorily address all the issues if at the conclusion of ongoing investigations it is discovered that the challenge is with the B737 Max 8.
“We urge members of the flying public to continue to choose Air Peace as their preferred airline and trust us to always act in their best interest”.
