UK aviation regulator reports Air Peace over Gatwick safety violations

The London Gatwick Airport has filed two mandatory occurrence reports to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) against Nigeria’s flag carrier airline, Air Peace’s operations at the airport.

In safety violation documents entitled, “United Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report” with reference number: CAA-UK, -2024-0217’ and ‘NATS Management System Safety Report’ the authorities listed the carrier’s safety violations at the Gatwick airport.

Also, the UK’s Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) also wrote to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on alleged safety violations of the carrier in London.

The NCAA in a letter to Air Peace’s Chief Executive Officer with reference number: NCAA/DOLTS/APL/Vol.11/03624 entitled, “United Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report dated May 14, 2024, and signed by the General Manager Operations, Capt. O.O. Lawani on behalf of the Director-General of NCAA read in part, “You are required to notify the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) of your corrective actions on these findings.”

The NCAA stated in the letter that it received a SAFA Ramp Inspection Report numbered CAA-UK-2024-0217 which was conducted at London Gatwick on April 7, 2024, at 09:33 local time ‘on your B777-200 aircraft with registration Number 5N-BE (S/N 28324).

In the letter, the NCAA said the UK CAA had called its attention to the no operational approval of Electronic Flight Bag functions affecting the safe operation of the aircraft, while adding that the captain of the flight admitted that an Electronic Flight Bag was being used for navigational purposes.

NCAA further noted that the CAA stated in its letter that there was “no mounting device for the use of EFB, no charging points or battery for backup.”

Air Peace began operations to London Gatwick from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) Nigeria has with the UK on April 30, 2024, amid fanfare.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.