…says co-pilot was cleared by the NCAA
Air Peace has responded to media stories on the preliminary report by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) regarding the incident involving one of its aircraft at Port Harcourt on July 13, 2025.
The airline said to date, no official communication was received on crew toxicology results by NSIB, and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had cleared the co-pilot on duty.
The NSIB had on Thursday released the preliminary report on its ongoing investigation into the serious incident involving a Boeing 737-524 aircraft, operated by Air Peace, saying initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption.
The report said that a cabin crew member also tested positive for Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component in cannabis.
“These results are being reviewed under the human performance and safety management components of the investigation.”, a statement on the report signed by Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, said.
In a statement by Air Peace, it stated that it is yet to receive 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 conducts frequent alcohol and drug tests on our crew. We have a very strict alcohol use policy that is stricter than the 8 hours before the flight as provided in the regulations. Drug use is a NO-NO!
“Following the incident, we took immediate and decisive action:
“The captain of the affected flight was grounded and relieved from further flight duty till 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,” Air Peace explained.
Read also: Port Harcourt airport incident: Air Peace crew tested positive for cannabis, alcohol, says NSIB
The airline stated that, contrary to reports in the media, the First Officer (Co-pilot), who demonstrated professionalism in calling for a go-around to his captain, has been reinstated into active flying duties, with full approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
“The NCAA cleared him. If he were involved in drug or alcohol use, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority would not have cleared him to resume flight duties.
“However, if the relieved captain tests positive on the breathalyser test, then we must increase the frequency of our alcohol and drug tests on our crew.
“Again, the importance of Enhanced Crew Resource Management Training cannot be over emphasised.We will intensify strict Fitness-for-Duty checks and Stronger Internal Monitoring to prevent any breach of our zero-tolerance safety policy,” the airline stated.
The airline added that it consistently maintains a strong safety record and strictly implements global best practices in all aspects of its operations, and we reassure our esteemed passengers and the Nigerian public that safety will never be compromised in Air Peace
.
The incident with the aircraft with nationality and registration marks 5N-BQQ, operated by Air Peace Limited, occurred on 13 July 2025 at Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo International Airport, Omagwa, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The aircraft, operating as a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt with 103 persons on board, landed long on Runway 21 after an unstabilised final approach.
According to the NSIB report, the aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and came to a final stop 209 metres into the clearway. All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and no injuries were reported.
