The Senate has cleared Air Peace of any misconduct in connection with the July 13 runway overrun incident at Port Harcourt International Airport, declaring that the airline’s pilots were wrongly accused of drug and alcohol use.
The resolution came after an investigative hearing by the Senate Committee on Aviation, which examined inconsistencies in the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB’s, preliminary report.
The initial report had claimed that several Air Peace crew members tested positive for alcohol and cannabis, but the findings were later revised to involve only two individuals — a development that sparked concerns about the credibility of Nigeria’s air safety oversight.
Speaking after Thursday’s session, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, said the NSIB’s inconsistent findings could have serious implications for Nigeria’s international aviation reputation if not corrected.
“You can see that, unfortunately, most of those allegations are not true. The report was disjointed and not coordinated. You don’t accuse people wrongly, especially in aviation, where ICAO and other international laboratories are monitoring us closely,” Buhari said.
Buhari, who represents the Oyo North Senatorial District, confirmed that the Air Peace aircraft sustained no damage during the Port Harcourt runway excursion and was flown back to Lagos the same day. He praised Air Peace and other local airlines for maintaining strong internal safety systems and conducting random drug tests on crew members, emphasizing the need to encourage rather than destroy homegrown carriers.
“Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines are our own. We need to support them, not damage their reputation with an unverified claim. The most important thing is that no lives were lost and the aircraft was not damaged,” he said.
The senator also hinted that the National Assembly is considering new legislation that would require federal agencies and public officials to patronize Nigerian airlines, as part of a broader strategy to boost the local aviation industry.
During the hearing, Air Peace Chairman and CEO, Allen Onyema, criticized the NSIB’s handling of the incident, describing it as misleading and detrimental to the airline’s global image.
He said, “I initially did not want to honour this invitation. But on second thought, I came because the Senate members are our customers, and they have every right to be concerned about safety. I must, however, correct certain impressions created by the NSIB’s handling of this matter.”
Onyema explained that the runway incident was due to human error, not a technical fault.
“The aircraft in question had no single damage. It flew back to Lagos the same day. The pilot has flown for nearly 40 years — one of the most experienced in our fleet. He simply had a bad day,” he said.
He also emphasized Air Peace’s strong internal safety culture, citing a past incident in which he grounded eight aircraft in one day after discovering a maintenance issue.
“We could have hidden it, but we reported it ourselves to the NCAA. That is how seriously we take safety,” Onyema added.
The Senate Committee’s closed-door session extended into the evening, and lawmakers are expected to submit a comprehensive report to the full Senate in the coming weeks. The final report is likely to recommend greater coordination between aviation agencies and improved transparency in incident communication.
The Senate’s investigation came after weeks of public debate triggered by the NSIB’s initial claim that a co-pilot and a cabin crew member from the Air Peace flight tested positive for alcohol and THC — allegations both crew members have since publicly denied.
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