Ernest 
Air Peace has placed a firm order for five Embraer E175 aircraft valued at $288.3 million.
The firm order was placed on the second day of the 7th annual Aviation Summit held in Nigeria.
Mr. Allen Onyema, the Chairman, Air Peace, who signed on behalf of the airline, described the decision as strategic.
Onyema explained that this marked a significant step forward in the operations of the airline and was in alignment with the airline’s ongoing strategy of modernising its fleet.
He maintained that the acquisition was also in line with Air Peace’s determination to become the operator of the largest and youngest fleet of aircraft in Africa, stressing that it reinforces Air Peace’s commitment to enhancing its domestic and regional network connectivity and paves the way for further regional expansion.
The airline said that deliveries of the 88 seat aircraft would start in 2024.
Already an operator of Embraer’s newest and largest jet, the E195-E2, these smaller aircraft would complement the airlines’ existing fleet, allowing Air Peace to dynamically match capacity to demand, protecting yields and route viability.
He 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.”
Also commenting, Stephan Hannemann, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Head of Africa & Middle East Region, Commercial Aviation, emphasised that Air Peace’s strategic and innovative approach continued to make it a powerhouse of aviation success in West Africa.
He said already, an E2 operator, it now makes sense to up gauge their ERJ145 fleet, offering passengers more seats and comfort with the E175, stressing that the commonality of the cockpits between the E1 and E2 fleet also simplifies aircrew costs and management.
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I commend Anambra State for producing the quality of entrepreneurs it has over the years. Once again I advice the Igbo nation to begin to focus on developing its God-given entrepreneurship advantage to global competitiveness and not allow itself be distracted by politics. Rivers State should learn.