Air Peace aircrafts, insert Chairman Air Peace, Allen Onyema
By Victory Oghene
Air Peace has reacted to the the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) report.
The airline dismissed reports linking its crew to alcohol use following the July 13, 2025 incident at the Port Harcourt International Airport, insisting that the NSIB has yet to formally communicate any official findings to the airline.
In a statement released on Friday and made available to NATIONALWAVES, the airline described the reports as misleading and clarified that neither it nor its crew had received any confirmation of the alleged preliminary report, more than a month after the incident and the immediate post-incident alcohol testing of the crew.
“To date, we have never received any official communications from the NSIB on such findings over a month after the incident and after the testing of the crew for alcohol which took place in less than an hour of the incident! As a responsible airline, we place utmost priority on safety, transparency, and compliance, and it is important to set the record straight,” Air Peace stated.
The airline emphasised that it conducts frequent alcohol and drug tests on its crew, operating under policies stricter than regulatory provisions, and maintaining a zero-tolerance stance on drug use.
Providing details of its internal response to the Port Harcourt incident, Air Peace confirmed that the captain of the affected flight was immediately grounded and relieved of flying duties for disregarding standard go-around procedures and failing to observe Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles. The airline, however, stressed that the action was not related to alcohol use, as no such test results have been formally communicated by the NSIB.
The statement further read, “Following the incident, we took immediate and decisive action: The captain of the affected flight was immediately grounded and relieved from further flight duties to date for failure to adhere to Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles and for disregarding standard go-around procedures as advised by his co-pilot but not for testing positive to breathalyser test as the result was not communicated to us by NSIB to date.”
By contrast, the First Officer who called for a go-around was praised for his professionalism. He has since been cleared by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and reinstated to active duty. “If he was involved in drug or alcohol use, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority would not have cleared him to resume flight duties,” the statement noted.
Air Peace further stated that should any eventual confirmation of a positive alcohol test emerge against the captain, the airline would increase the frequency of its crew testing while also intensifying its strict Fitness-for-Duty checks and internal monitoring.
“The importance of enhanced Crew Resource Management training cannot be overemphasised,” the airline stated, reiterating its commitment to global best practices and passenger safety.
Air Peace concluded by assuring passengers and the public that safety will remain uncompromised across all its operations.
It would be recalled that the NSIB had, on Thursday, released its preliminary report into the Port Harcourt incident involving an Air Peace Boeing 737-524 aircraft, registered 5N-BQQ. The flight, which carried 103 passengers and crew from Lagos, landed long on Runway 21 after an unstabilised approach, eventually stopping 209 metres into the clearway.
All occupants disembarked safely without injuries.
However, the bureau disclosed that initial toxicological tests revealed positive results for alcohol in some flight crew members, while a cabin crew member tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis. The findings are currently being reviewed under human performance and safety management considerations.
