Air Peace, Nigeria’s leading airline, has provided clarification regarding the viral video showing passengers scrambling to board a flight from Abuja to Lagos on Friday. The airline confirmed that the incident occurred after passengers, frustrated by delays, rushed to board the aircraft without waiting for the official boarding call.
The airline attributed the delay to bad weather caused by harmattan haze, which affected flight schedules and led to a postponement of several departures from Abuja. To address the backlog, Air Peace deployed three aircraft to accommodate the waiting passengers.
According to the airline’s statement, the passengers, who had been waiting for over two hours, grew increasingly impatient. When one of the planes finally arrived, many did not follow the proper boarding procedures, resulting in a chaotic scene. Despite attempts by security personnel to manage the situation, the crowd surged toward the aircraft, crowding the boarding stairs as seen in the widely circulated video.
The airline promised to continue prioritizing safety and always taking necessary steps to prevent such incidents in the future.
Speaking via a statement, Dr Ejike Ndiulo, Air Peace’s Head of Communications, said on the day in question, there were flight delays because of poor weather conditions, specifically harmattan-induced haze, and fog, “which is common at this time of the year, and to ensure that passengers continued their journeys with minimum disruptions, Air Peace deployed three aircraft to Abuja to evacuate all the passengers. While processing them for their flights at the boarding gate, passengers overwhelmed both the FAAN and boarding officers and rushed to the airside.
“Duty managers and ramp officials then had to mount barricades in front of the motorised step to differentiate passengers on flights,” the statement said.
“While we empathise with you, our loyal customer, we condemn in very strong terms the misinformation, insults, and deliberate falsehood disseminated in the video post,” the statement added.
Air Peace said such representations (in the video) are not reflective of its values or operations.
“We appreciate your understanding and patience during this period and sincerely regret any inconvenience these delays may have caused you. The safety of our passengers and crew is our utmost priority.
“At Air Peace, safety is not just a priority but a fundamental precondition for all our activities. We remain committed to maintaining safe and timely operations,” the statement added.
