Nigerian carrier Air Peace is partnering with Embraer to create a new MRO center in Lagos, the country’s commercial hub.
Construction work on the project, initially mooted two years ago, is expected to be launched later this month and to be completed in 12 to 15 months.
The announcement of the commencement of the project came on the heels of a visit to Brazil last month from Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, accompanied by Nigerian executives, including Air Peace Chairman Allen Onyema.
"By Sept. 17, we are going to inaugurate the commencement of construction of our new MRO, and Embraer will operate maintenance for Embraer jets,” Onyema told the West African Ecofin news agency.
According to an Embraer spokesman, the OEM “will use its experience in the commercial MRO industry to provide advice on aspects related to hangar and capacity planning, tooling/GSE needs, technical training avenues, leadership matrix and KPIs, to list a few.
“We are engaged to provide support to Air Peace. Embraer offers a wide array of opportunities in the services and support business, including training.”
The Nigerian company operates several Embraer first- and second-generation E-jets, with more on order. Asked whether Embraer’s MRO support would apply only to its own aircraft, or to the Air Peace fleet generally, the spokesman said that the Brazilian manufacturer’s capabilities in MRO “can be extended to any fleet the customer needs to maintain.
“Although Embraer is recognized as one of the global leaders in Embraer product maintenance, our process, with the right leadership and follow-through, can be extended to other fleet types.”
The new MRO center will potentially help African airlines beyond Air Peace. Traditionally, many African-operated airliners have had to be flown to Europe or Asia for major servicing or refurbishment, increasing both the amount of time they are out of service and the flow of valuable foreign reserves outside the continent.
Ecofin cites the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria as saying that the country spends more than $2.5 billion annually on offshore maintenance for its fleet.
There are relatively few MRO centers within Africa, mainly operated by the continent’s largest carriers, such as Ethiopian Airlines, EgyptAir, Royal Air Maroc and South African Airways.
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