Air Peace Aircraft Hits Antelope On Airport Runway, Causes Flight Disruptions

Sunday May 11, 2025 |

An aircraft belonging to Air Peace hit an antelope on the runway on Saturday, May 11, causing the death of the animal while damaging the plane.

The severity of the damage has led to the classification of the Air Peace plane as Aircraft on Ground (AOG), grounding it and causing disruptions to the airline’s scheduled flight operations.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has officially confirmed the incident. The Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection at the NCAA,
Michael Achimugu, addressed the situation via a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. He stated that these kinds of unforeseen events can lead to disruption of flight schedules.

He said: “Monitoring reports yesterday indicated that an Air Peace aircraft ran into a large antelope, decimating the animal and leaving the aircraft on ground. As a result, flights meant to be operated by this aircraft would naturally be disrupted, even though engineers are on the ground to assess and fix the plane. Passengers waiting would naturally be infuriated.”

He further said that while the runway incursion and subsequent collision were circumstances beyond the direct control of the airline, Air Peace still bears the responsibility of keeping passengers informed about the disruptions. Additionally, he stressed the airline’s obligation to offer refunds to affected travelers and provide them with necessary care and assistance during this period of inconvenience.

He stated that the NCAA would not hesitate to impose sanctions on Air Peace should the airline fail to meet these responsibilities to its stranded passengers. The agency reassured the traveling public regarding the overall safety measures in place at the airport and also pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the antelope’s intrusion onto the runway.