Sade Williams/Business a.m.
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Nigerian carrier bites more in global expansion
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Daily operation will see Norse Atlantic Airways deploy B787 Dreamliners under an AMCI deal
Air Peace, West and Central Africa’s largest carrier by fleet size, made a bold Nigerian presence at London Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom on Saturday with the launch of its inaugural flight from Lagos, Nigeria using its Boeing 777 aircraft for the operation.
The Nigerian carrier will deploy Norse Atlantic Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner under an ACMI arrangement that both airlines signed last month.
Per a monitored report on Simple Flying, it took long to get to this stage. But after extensive planning and earning its Foreign Carrier Operator Permit (FCOP) from the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Air Peace finally marked the beginning of operations at LGW Airport.
On March 30, 2024, an Air Peace Boeing 777-200ER widebody, registered as 5N-BVE, departed from Lagos Murtala Mohammed Airport (LOS) bound for London Gatwick Airport (LGW) in the UK.
According to Flightradar24, the flight duration between these two destinations is approximately six hours. The airline intends to deploy its fleet of Boeing 777 widebody aircraft to operate this route. With three Boeing 777 widebodies in its fleet, the airline offers accommodation for a total of 274 passengers across a three-class cabin configuration, according to ch-aviation data.
Flightradar24 captures the route Air Peace flights will take
The Nigerian airline now intends to run this route daily. This operation will include Norse Atlantic Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliners, as both airlines have entered into an Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance (ACMI) agreement. Under this agreement, Norse Atlantic Airways will operate routes between the United Kingdom and Nigeria on behalf of Air Peace.
The Norse and Air Peace ACMI deal
As part of the initial agreement between the two airlines, the ACMI deal will span two months and commence on April 1, 2024. The Norway-based long-haul low-cost carrier plans to conduct four flights weekly between London Gatwick Airport (LGW) and Lagos Murtala Mohammed Airport (LOS) on behalf of the African airline.
Norse Atlantic Airways will use Air Peace’s LGW Airport slots to operate the route using its Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Both carriers have expressed the possibility of extending the initial two-month charter operation into a long-term agreement. It is worth noting that Norse has a total of four 787-9s in its fleet, with one awaiting delivery, according to ch-aviation.
Commenting on this deal, Bjørn Tore Larsen, founder and chief executive officer of Norse Atlantic Airways, said:
“We are thrilled to be working with Air Peace to launch this ACMI charter service between London Gatwick and Lagos. This collaboration represents an exciting opportunity to leverage our expertise in charter operations to deliver a reliable and high-quality service to Air Peace and their customers.”
The airline has also set its sights on expanding its route network across the world. In February 2024, Nigerian authorities approved international flights to New York’s JFK Airport. Presently, the airline serves 18 domestic destinations, seven regional destinations (including Cameroon, Ghana, Gambia, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo), and four international destinations, such as India, the UK, Israel, and South Africa.
