Air Peace has requested a full investigation by Nigeria’s regulatory and security agencies following three separate ground collisions within a month.
Several Nigerian Aviation Holding Company (NAHCO) employees are under investigation after a ground vehicle collided with an Air Peace Airbus A320 at Lagos Airport (LOS).
Incident details
As reported by local media and Aerotime, the Airbus A320, registered as ES-SAZ, was damaged three times in one month, grounding the narrowbody jet. The most recent incident, on January 4, saw staff strike the aircraft’s elevator with a ground vehicle carrying stairs.
NAHCO states that its employees hit the jet while driving down the runway to attend to another aircraft, going against the airport’s procedure. The staff is reported to have missed the A320 due to a blind spot. The aircraft was immediately grounded for repairs and inspection to ensure its airworthiness, resulting in the cancellation of a morning flight to Owerri (QOW).
Several services across Air Peace’s network were significantly affected, with the aircraft initially scheduled to operate ten flights that day.
Speaking to Nigerian Flight Deck, Air Peace Spokesperson Stanley Olisa expressed frustration over the repeated incidents and their impact on the carrier, “This is the third time in one month. The aircraft is now grounded, and we don’t know when it will be up again. The NAHCO staff had no reason to be where he was. He was not assigned to the aircraft and how he rammed into our aircraft is still shocking.”
“This is going to cause revenue loss for us as an airline. The aircraft was scheduled to operate several flights today, but could not do so, causing flight disruptions and delays. The authorities should investigate the incident and take necessary actions. We have made a formal complaint to NAHCO management on the development.”
NAHCO responds
Air Peace has raised concerns over sabotage; however, an initial investigation by NAHCO has ruled out the possibility, citing Air Peace’s position as its primary client. Air Peace has requested for Nigeria’s regulatory and security agencies to thoroughly investigate the handling company’s staff and the frequency of its incidents.
Director of Business and Corporate Services Dr. Sola Obabori noted that it was not possible for NAHCO’s employees to damage its customer’s equipment deliberately or maliciously. Obabori assured that the company would review the incident further to avoid future incidents. Several NAHCO operators and operational officials have since been suspended, while others remain under investigation.
Previous collisions
Air Peace has had a notable run with unfortunate ground collisions over the past few years, having noted its concerns over the impact of these incidents on its public image.
In 2017, the airline experienced two similar incidents at Lagos and Benin (BNI) over six months. Several flights were canceled throughout the day, impacting Air Peace’s overall network and costing the carrier “millions of naira.” January’s incident with NAHCO is reported to have set the airline back around ₦100 million ($220,000).
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) have called on airport contractors to install modern equipment and adequately train staff to prevent further incidents as Nigeria expands its aviation industry.
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