Runway Incident : Senate gives Airpeace Clean bill of health
After mild face off between members of the Senate Committee on Aviation and the Chairman of Airpeace Airlines, Allen Onyeama, over runway overshoot on the 13th of July this year at Port Harcourt International Airport, the committee gave Airpeace a clean bill of health.
But critical stakeholders in the aviation sector, like the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN ) , the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau ( NSIB) , the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA), etc, told the committee that the investigation into the incident has not been concluded.
The clean bill of health given to Airpeace by the committee came after an hour closed-door session between it and stakeholders in the Aviation sector, they hurriedly went for , when the Airpeace boss frowned at the reason given for the session .
The committee had as mandated by the Senate , titled the session as “One day Investigative hearing on the Need to strengthen Aviation Safety following the NSIB report on Air Peace Runway overun at Port-harcourt Airport “, which was vehemently kicked against by Airpeace Chairman .
In kicking against the session , Onyeama told the committee that the investigative hearing shouldn’t have centred on Airpeace alone since Runway overshoots occur globally by various Airlines .
“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 title or topic used for this session .
“What we say here is being monitored globally. We must be careful not to impugn the integrity of the NSIB or destroy public trust in Nigerian airlines. Air Peace is one of the safest airlines in the world, not just in Nigeria”, he said .
He clarified that the Air Peace aircraft involved in the incident suffered no mechanical fault or damage, and that the runway excursion was a result of human error.
“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. Unfortunately, the early report created confusion that made it appear as if the aircraft was faulty or the pilots were intoxicated.”
Moved by his appeal, the committee led by Senator Abdulfatai Buhari ( Oyo North), went into a closed-door session with him and other stakeholders, after which his Airline was exonerated from any wrongdoing as far as the runway overshoot incident was concerned.
Specifically, the Chairman of the committee who gave the clean bill of health to Airpeace said, “The Senate’s review of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) report revealed serious inconsistencies and uncoordinated findings that could damage Nigeria’s aviation reputation before international regulators if left uncorrected.
“Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines are our own. We need to support them, not damage their reputation with unverified claims.
“The most important thing is that no lives were lost, and the aircraft was not damaged. It was towed and later flown back safely to Lagos.”
He commended Air Peace and other indigenous airlines for maintaining internal safety checks and conducting random testing of their pilots and staff, insisting that Nigeria should “encourage rather than destroy” its local carriers.
Earlier in her submission on the incident before the committee, the Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, the agency’s commitment to safety was tested during the Air Peace aircraft runway overrun incident on July 13, 2025, which, according to her, was efficiently responded to by the PHIA Emergency Response Team.
“There were no reported injuries to the ninety-six (96) passengers and the seven (7) crew members onboard. Also, all passengers and crew were safely evacuated to the terminal building.
” The Runway was temporarily closed in line with safety protocols, and coordination commenced with the NCAA and NAMA for investigation as well as internal safety review.”
