Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest airline, has announced that the captain involved in the recent safety incident at the Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo International Airport in Port Harcourt has been grounded and removed from flight duties following internal investigations.
The development comes after the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) disclosed preliminary findings indicating that initial toxicology tests on the crew of the affected Boeing 737-524 aircraft (registration 5N-BQQ) showed “positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption,” while a cabin crew member tested positive for THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis.
However, Air Peace clarified in a statement on Thursday that the captain was not removed due to alleged alcohol use but for failing to follow standard safety protocols and disregarding the advice of his co-pilot during the incident.
“Following the incident, we took immediate and decisive action: the captain of the affected flight was grounded and relieved from further flight duty to date for failure to adhere to Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles and for disregarding standard go-around procedures as advised by his co-pilot — not for testing positive to any breathalyser test, as the result has not been formally communicated to us by NSIB to date,” the airline said.
The airline also stressed that it operates under a strict zero-tolerance policy on alcohol and drug use, noting that it conducts frequent random tests that are “stricter than the eight hours before flight rule provided in aviation regulations.”
Air Peace further revealed that the First Officer who had urged the captain to perform a go-around has been cleared by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and reinstated to active flying duties.
“Contrary to reports in the media, the First Officer (co-pilot), who demonstrated professionalism in calling for a go-around, has been reinstated into active flying duties with full approval from the NCAA. If he had been involved in drug or alcohol use, the NCAA would not have cleared him to resume flight duties,” the statement read.
The airline said it would now intensify its fitness-for-duty checks, strengthen internal monitoring, and expand its Enhanced Crew Resource Management training to ensure strict adherence to safety protocols.
“Air Peace has consistently maintained 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,” the statement added.
The NSIB has said it will continue its investigation and release a full report on the incident involving the Air Peace Boeing 737-524 once the inquiry is completed.
