Much Ado about Ramp Inspection on Air Peace London Operation

Chinedu Eze

Last Sunday Nigerians were inundated with reports emanating from ramp inspection of Air Peace aircraft on arrival at the Gatwick Airport, London by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UKCAA).

The Authority identified some infractions, which it directed Air Peace to correct, which it did, but almost a month the incident happened, the UKCAA report was leaked to the media and it became a big issue in Nigeria.

The report had to do with the positioning of certain critical devices and information equipment relating to travel and the fact that the pilot in command at one of the times it operated a flight to Gatwick did not follow orders on where to exit from the runway.

But without interpreting the technical terms in the report, it became a big deal to non-aviators, including the thousands of potential travellers who might become apprehensive after reading the report.

Many in Nigeria’s aviation industry wondered why some people could go against the standard rule to leak the document to the press, contrary to rule of engagement and standard practice.

Air Peace later reacted to the reports and confirmed that the UK Civil Aviation Authority carried out ramp inspection on its aircraft operating the Lagos-London service and raised concerns, which it has since resolved with the UK authorities.

The airline said reports indicating safety breach in its operation were false and aimed at creating fears and doubts in the minds of potential travellers; insisting that those reports were false and exaggerated.

“From the commencement of our inaugural flight to London, our operations have been subjected to intense scrutiny by the relevant authorities, which we most welcome as we pride ourselves in our continued pursuit of operational excellence and unwavering commitment to the safety and security of our esteemed passengers.

“We can confirm that the UK Civil Aviation Authority wrote to Air Peace, after their statutory Ramp Inspection on April 7, 2024, to request clarification on our use of the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and some other concerns. We provided the necessary information, and the matter was resolved without any issues.

“It is, therefore, wrong to say we do not have approval for our EFB. Air Peace received approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and all our Boeing 777 aircraft are certified to operate with EFBs. 

“Regarding the claim that our B777 aircraft lack iPad mounts and charging ports in the flight deck, this is incorrect. All B777 aircraft are equipped with charging ports in the cockpit, and we ensure that all our B777 aircraft have iPad mounts,” the airline said in a statement signed by the management.

Air Peace also disclosed that another issue raised by the UK CAA was the location of the cockpit library on the B777.

“The B777 designates two locations for storing manuals and books: one behind the captain and one under the jumpseat. During the inspection, the books were stored under the jumpseat, as it is commonly practised. We understand the inspector’s preference for the books to be placed behind the captain and have ensured this preference is accommodated for all operations going forward.

“There was also a concern about the captain’s choice of runway exit after landing. Instead of exiting at the middle runway exit, the captain, out of his professional discretion, opted to exit at the end of the runway. This may have delayed the arrival of another aircraft. We acknowledge this deviation and have addressed the matter with the captain to ensure adherence to preferred exit procedures in the future,” the airline said.

Air Peace noted that ramp inspection is a normal procedure carried out by aviation authorities globally, and the UK CAA did the right thing by notifying the NCAA of the outcome of their inspection. 

“However, we are shocked to see several media publications with exaggerated and sensationalised accounts of this matter that were closed with the authorities over a month ago. It is unprofessional for the media to publish slanted and alarmist reports to create public panic and impugn our deeply ingrained safety culture.

“Air Peace’s safety record is second to none, and we go above and beyond to comply with all established safety standards. Safety is the bedrock of our operations, and we have robust operational mechanisms to guarantee full compliance always,” the airline added.

THISDAY spoke to former Director General of NCAA, Benedict Adeyileka on the implication of the report and he said that ramp inspection is normal which officials of civil aviation authority carry out from time to time and reports on the inspection are treated internally and wondered why the report was leaked out to the media.

“When I was DG of NCAA we carried out ramp inspection and whatever error that is detected is corrected. We will ask the airline to correct it. The errors could be from Levels one to four and we usually send the report to the country where the aircraft is registered, Adeyileka explained.

The report of the inspection was sent to NCAA by the UKCAA where the original report from the UKCAA and the letter NCAA in response to UKCAA sent to Air Peace.

The letter NCAA sent to Air Peace was dated May 14, 2024 with reference number NCAA/DOLTS/vol.11/03624 and addressed to the CEO, Air Peace Limited with attention to the airline’s Quality Manager. It was titled: United Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report.

Adeyileka also said: “What worries me is the negativity the report generated. No UK media could have reported this against UK airline because in the first place this confidential report that was not meant to be in the media. Nigeria is not patriotic. When I was Director General we had caught a foreign pilot with fake certificate and we treated the matter in a professional way such issues are treated without leaking it to the media. That report was not in the UK; so, our people are behind it. I don’t know why we hate ourselves.”

Adeyileka who is aeronautical engineer that practiced many years in the UK, further said: “I can tell you categorically that if the infraction was a major one, UKCAA would not allow the aircraft to take off from the airport. But the infractions were not major but the only problem the airline would have had was if the UKCAA gave it three days or one week to correct the infractions and it did not do so. I am really sad because of the negative report. Leaking it to the press was bad. If I am not an aviator I would think the aircraft was about to fall from the sky after reading that report. We have to be careful what we bring to the public.”