Air Peace has clarified that it has no plans to detain any aircraft belonging to Lessors either in Nigeria or elsewhere.

The airline explained that its current challenges with three entities—Smartlynx Airlines Malta Limited, SIA Smartlynx Airlines, and Smartlynx Estonia OU—collectively known as "Smartlynx," are related to damp lease agreements for four aircraft.

Air Peace accused Smartlynx of deliberately defrauding the airline out of millions of dollars during these operations.

In addition, the airline pointed out that these financial losses have severely affected its scheduled operations during a peak travel season, leading to significant reputational and operational harm.

Air Peace provided a comprehensive account of the alleged fraud, stating, “During the lease operation, Smartlynx intentionally defrauded Air Peace and fraudulently received several advance payments under the guise of operating the agreed block hours.”

The airline further detailed the purported intent, claiming, “Months before receiving these payments, Smartlynx was fully aware that it had no intention of fulfilling the prepaid block hours. Nevertheless, it continued to solicit and accept payments from Air Peace under false pretenses.”

According to the airline's press statement, its total losses currently amount to USD 38,042,843.84 (Thirty-eight million, forty-two thousand, eight hundred and forty-three dollars and eighty-four cents). This dire situation ultimately prompted the airline to begin legal proceedings against Smartlynx, and it added, “On 12 November 2025, the court issued a ruling against Smartlynx.”

BusinessDay previously reported that Air Peace faced a number of operational disruptions, leading to flight delays and cancellations after its major lessor, SmartLynx Airlines, unlawfully withdrew three aircraft from Air Peace's fleet. Nowel Ngala, the Chief Commercial Officer of Air Peace, explained that the company entered into a wet-lease agreement with Smartlynx due to 13 of its aircraft being under scheduled maintenance abroad. "To prevent service interruptions and ensure that Nigerians could continue to travel conveniently, Air Peace leased aircraft from Smartlynx in an effort to assist Nigerian passengers during peak travel times," Ngala stated.

He further noted that the disruptions resulted from the sudden and unwarranted withdrawal of four aircraft that were wet-leased from SmartLynx Airlines.

Ngala emphasized that this withdrawal occurred without prior notification, calling it a clear breach of industry standards and the agreement between both parties.