The new aircraft, a 320-seater Boeing 777-300 christened “Ojochide” and marked 5N-BUU, touched down the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at about 1.37p.m. to a traditional water salute by fire fighters from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
The arrival of the aircraft considered as one of the biggest and most complex machines in aviation industry, makes Air Peace the first Nigerian airline to birth two of the wide-bodies Boeing 777 (better called triple seven) aircraft series in the country.
But unlike the Boeing 777-200 aircraft flown into Nigeria by expatriate pilots, the arrival of the Boeing 777-300 aircraft was greeted with more fanfare by aviation industry professionals as the aircraft was this time flown into the country by two Nigerian pilots – Captain Victor Egonu (who was the Pilot-in-Command) and First Officer Emmanuel Iwhiwhu (who was the co-pilot).
The B777-300 aircraft has 12 first class, 48 business class and 260 economy class seats.
Managing Director/CEO of Air Peace said the airline had invested in four of the Boeing 777 aircraft, and that with two already in the country, the airline was expecting the last two before the end of the year.