Harrison EDEH
Air Peace, West Africa’s and Nigeria’s largest airline, has apologised to passengers affected by recent delays and cancellations across some of its operations, attributing the disruptions to a combination of unforeseen operational, technical and safety-related circumstances.
The airline’s Chief Operating Officer, Toyin Olajide, in a statement obtained by Advocate Times on Tuesday, September 9,said the disruptions were caused by an inadvertent false fire alarm that grounded one of its aircraft, adverse weather conditions which resulted in diversions and delays.
The statement also cited a bird strike that grounded another aircraft for days, technical issues requiring mandatory checks and maintenance, as well as delays in the availability of aviation fuel in some cases.
Olajide said the airline understood the frustration and inconvenience caused by the disruptions, particularly the impact on passengers’ travel plans.
“While some of these circumstances were beyond our immediate control, we acknowledge the impact they have had on our passengers,” she said.
She stressed that Air Peace was focused on managing the challenges responsibly, minimising disruption and ensuring that passengers were not left to bear the consequences of operational challenges.
The COO, however, made it clear that the airline would not compromise safety in an attempt to keep to schedule.
“Air Peace will never compromise safety in an attempt to adhere to a schedule. In Air Peace, safety remains our highest priority. We will NEVER compromise the safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft,” she said.
According to Olajide, an aircraft would not be released for service until the airline’s technical teams and all relevant safety procedures were satisfied that it was safe to fly.
She added that where weather, technical conditions, a bird strike or any other safety-related circumstance required an aircraft to remain on the ground, that decision would always take precedence over operational convenience.
Olajide said the airline was taking immediate steps to stabilise its operations, strengthen its contingency measures and improve communication and responsiveness whenever unforeseen challenges arise.
She reaffirmed Air Peace’s commitment to providing safe, dependable and increasingly seamless air travel, while earning the trust and confidence of the flying public.
“To every passenger who has been inconvenienced, kept waiting, had a journey disrupted or had to rearrange important plans because of these operational challenges, we sincerely apologise,” she further said.
Olajide also appreciated passengers for their patience and understanding, assuring them that Air Peace remained committed to giving them the quality, reliability and service experience they deserve.
In a separate development,and earlier report by Advocate Times informed that AirPeace recorded the fastest growth in scheduled seat capacity among Africa’s top 10 airlines, underlining the aggressive expansion of the Nigerian carrier’s operations.
According to the latest African aviation market data from aviation analytics firm OAG, Air Peace scheduled 354,804 seats in September 2026, compared with 229,412 seats in September 2025.
That represents an increase of 125,400 seats, or 54.7 per cent, year-on-year,the report said.
