Air Peace
By Victory Oghene
Passengers on board an Air Peace aircraft were exasperated and furious as the aircraft struck and killed an antelope while taxiing at the Abuja International Airport on Saturday, May 10, 2025
This culminated to the aircraft being grounded.
The unexpected development led to an abrupt but significant flight delays and frustration among passengers even as the officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), while confirming the incident, described it as a rare wildlife encounter.
The NCAA however said that the airline is still responsible for assisting affected travellers.
Spokesman of the NCAA said; “We can confirm that the aircraft was rendered temporarily unserviceable following the impact. While this was clearly a rare wildlife encounter, Air Peace is still responsible for managing the consequences and ensuring proper care for affected passengers.”
The NCAA further explained that although the wildlife collision was not Air Peace’s fault, the airline has to uphold its obligations to passengers.
The rare incident led to several flights delays as a result of the collision, thereby left so many passengers stranded for hours with little information from the airline.
A passenger travelling to Lagos, Mr Sola Adebayo, said that no one told the passengers anything for hours as they were just left in the waiting area without any update.
According to Adebayo; “I understand that an antelope incident is unusual, but this speaks to a broader problem”.
Similarly, other passengers pointed to deeper infrastructure and safety issues in the Nigerian aviation system.
In the words of Ifeoma Nwachukwu; “This is not about Air Peace. It’s about airport safety, wildlife control, and how quickly the system can respond.”
The incident followed a recent warning from the NCAA to Air Peace over frequent delays and the need for operational improvements.
The aircraft that was involved in the mishap remained grounded as at Sunday morning while the NCAA said that investigations are still ongoing and efforts being put in place for the resumption of normal flight operations.
