Port Harcourt Runway Incident: Air Peace Responds to ‘Drunk Crew’ Report, Confirms Pilot’s Sack

The management of Nigeria’s leading domestic airline, Air Peace, has reacted to the preliminary findings of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), which indicated that the crew of an Air Peace aircraft involved in a runway incident on July 13, 2025, tested positive for alcohol and cannabis.

According to the NSIB’s preliminary report released by its Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs. Bimbo Oladiji, toxicology tests conducted after the incident revealed that members of the flight crew had traces of alcohol and cannabis in their system. The incident involved a Boeing 737-524 aircraft with registration number 5N-BQQ, which landed at the Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo International Airport, Omagwa, Port Harcourt.

Oladiji disclosed that:

“Initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption. A cabin crew member also tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis.”

She explained that the aircraft, operating a scheduled Lagos–Port Harcourt service with 103 passengers on board, landed long on Runway 21 following an unstabilised final approach, touching down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold before coming to a stop 209 metres into the clearway. Thankfully, all passengers and crew disembarked safely without injuries.

The NSIB has since issued immediate safety recommendations, including enhanced Crew Resource Management (CRM) training for Air Peace flight crews, particularly on handling unstabilised approaches and go-around decisions, alongside stricter internal monitoring for crew fitness-for-duty checks.

While the Bureau clarified that the findings remain preliminary and subject to further review, Air Peace, in its response, denied receiving any official communication from the NSIB. However, the airline admitted that the aircraft captain had already been relieved of duties for violating safety protocols, particularly for disregarding his co-pilot’s go-around call.

In a statement, Air Peace said:

“We have a very strict alcohol use policy, stricter than the regulatory 8-hour rule before flight. Drug use is a NO-NO. Following the incident, the captain of the affected flight was immediately grounded and relieved of duties for failing to adhere to Crew Resource Management principles and ignoring go-around procedures. This was not linked to any communicated toxicology result from NSIB.”

The airline further clarified that the First Officer, who had advised the captain to go around, was reinstated after clearance from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Air Peace emphasized its commitment to strengthening internal monitoring, fitness-for-duty checks, and reinforcing its zero-tolerance stance on drug and alcohol use among crew members.

The statement concluded:

“Air Peace has consistently upheld the highest safety standards and will continue to operate with global best practices. We reassure our passengers and the Nigerian public that safety remains our utmost priority.”