Air Peace Aircraft collides with Antelope at Abuja Airport Runway

An Air Peace flight was temporarily grounded after it struck an antelope while taxiing on the runway at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The incident, which occurred on Saturday, left the animal decimated and resulted in the aircraft being marked as Aircraft on Ground (AOG), disrupting several scheduled flights.

Confirming the incident, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), through its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr. Michael Achimugu, addressed the matter on X (formerly Twitter). He explained that while such rare events can affect flight schedules, appropriate procedures are in place to manage them.

“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,” Achimugu wrote.

He also stressed that although the collision was beyond the airline’s control, Air Peace remained responsible for keeping passengers informed, offering refunds, and providing care where necessary. He added that the NCAA would not hesitate to take disciplinary action if the airline failed to meet its obligations.

A source close to the airline, while speaking to Vanguard, clarified that the incident took place during landing and that standard aviation safety procedures were immediately activated to inspect and repair the aircraft.

“It happened upon landing. As an aviation procedure, the aircraft has been checked and fixed. It was not a big issue,” the source noted.

The NCAA has reassured the public of ongoing safety measures at the airport and has promised to investigate how the animal gained access to the runway, with a view to preventing such incidents in the future.