Air Peace, based in Nigeria, has sealed a deal for five Embraer E175 aircraft. This acquisition highlights the airline’s ambitions to strengthen and modernize its fleet. With a list price of US$288.3m, this strategic acquisition reiterates the airline’s commitment to fleet modernization.
As West Africa’s largest airline, Air Peace’s recent decision fortifies its commitment to boosting domestic and regional network connectivity and promises further regional growth. Stakeholders and passengers can expect the arrival of these 88-seat aircraft from 2024 onwards.
Air Peace isn’t new to the Embraer family. Already boasting Embraer’s state-of-the-art E195-E2 in its fleet, adding these smaller aircraft equips Air Peace with the versatility to adjust capacity according to demand. Such dynamism ensures the viability of various routes and optimizes profitability.
Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema, said, “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.”
Embraer’s senior leadership echoed this optimism. Stephan Hannemann, VP of Sales & Marketing, Head of Africa & Middle East Region, Commercial Aviation, lauded Air Peace’s forward-thinking strategies. “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.”
Hannemann also acknowledged the airline’s substantial investment in the Embraer series, with 18 new aircraft. He emphasized Embraer’s dedication, in collaboration with Air Peace, to foster local maintenance capabilities in Nigeria.
About Embraer
A global aerospace company headquartered in Brazil, Embraer has Commercial and Executive aviation, Defense and security, and Agricultural Aviation businesses. The company designs, develops, manufactures, and markets aircraft and systems, providing Services and support to customers after-sales.
Since it was founded in 1969, Embraer has delivered more than 8,000 aircraft. On average, about every 10 seconds, an aircraft manufactured by Embraer takes off somewhere around the world, transporting over 145 million passengers a year.
Embraer is the leading manufacturer of commercial jets with up to 150 seats and the main exporter of high-value-added goods in Brazil. The company maintains industrial units, offices, and service and parts distribution centers, among other activities, across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe.