Air Peace Faults NSIB Drug, Alcohol Claims Against Pilots

By Tonia Okereke

The management of Air Peace has responded to the preliminary report by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB, regarding an incident involving one of its aircraft at the Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.

The airline’s response came in a statement signed by its management and shared on its official X account on Friday.

Related news: https://frontlinenews.com.ng/air-peace-crew-tested-positive-for-alcohol-drug-nsib-report/

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) earlier said an Air Peace pilot and a Co-pilot tested positive to drugs and alcohol.

The NSIB further stated that the duo tested positive for the substances after the aircraft they flew was involved in a runway excursion at the Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.

According to a preliminary report signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance at Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, Mrs Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, made available to the media on Friday, the Pilot and Co-Pilot failed the tests conducted on them.

The preliminary reports said toxicological test results conducted on the flight crew turned out positive. The Tests indicated the presence of alcohol in the system of the crew, while another crew member also tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound found in cannabis, colloquially referred to as “India hemp.”

It will be recalled that an Air Peace aircraft, on a Sunday morning of 13th July, had a runway excursion after landing at the Port Harcourt International Airport.

However, reacting to the report, on Friday, the airline’s statement partly read: “Our attention has been drawn to media stories on a purported preliminary report by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) currently circulating online and in the media regarding the incident involving one of our aircraft at Port Harcourt on July 13, 2025.

“We are 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.”

The carrier emphasised that it places the highest priority on safety, transparency, and compliance, describing the report as misleading.

“As a responsible airline, we place utmost priority on safety, transparency, and compliance, and it is important to set the record straight,” the statement said.

“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 the breathalyser test, as the result was not communicated to us by NSIB to date”, the airline’s statement added.