By Fiscal Posts
A dispute has started between Air Peace and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) after the release of a preliminary report on the July 13, 2025, runway incident with the airline’s Boeing 737-524 at Port Harcourt’s Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo International Airport.
The NSIB, in its preliminary findings released on Thursday, revealed that toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew indicated the presence of alcohol, while a cabin crew member tested positive for THC, the psychoactive substance in cannabis. The bureau said these results, combined with the crew’s handling of the unstabilised final approach and long landing, are under review as part of its human performance and safety analysis.
In a press release signed by the NSIB, Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs. Bimbo Olawunmi Oladeji, the aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold, coming to a halt only 209 metres into the clearway. While no lives were lost and all 103 passengers and crew safely disembarked, the bureau recommended that Air Peace strengthen crew resource management (CRM) training and tighten pre-flight fitness-for-duty checks.
But Air Peace swiftly pushed back, questioning the credibility and timing of the findings. In a statement, the airline said it had yet to receive any official communication from the NSIB on the toxicology results, despite the tests being conducted “in less than an hour after the incident.” It insisted that the captain of the flight was grounded for ignoring standard go-around procedures—not for failing an alcohol test, which the airline said had not been formally communicated.
The airline also defended its co-pilot, noting that he had been cleared by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and reinstated to active duty, stressing that no regulator would permit him to resume flying if he had tested positive for drugs or alcohol. “Drug use is a NO-NO at Air Peace,” the company stated, adding that it already enforces policies stricter than the standard “eight hours bottle-to-throttle” rule.
Air Peace, however, admitted that if the captain did test positive to a breathalyser, the airline would ramp up the frequency of alcohol and drug checks for its crew. It also pledged to intensify CRM training, fitness-for-duty checks, and internal monitoring, while reaffirming its commitment to global best practices in aviation safety.
The NSIB said the report contains only early findings and more investigation is needed before a final report is released. With both sides sharing different accounts, the situation has brought new attention to Nigeria’s aviation sector and raised concerns about transparency, safety, and public trust in airlines.