The Senate on Thursday absolved Nigeria’s airline, Air Peace, of any wrongdoing in the July 13 runway overrun incident at the Port Harcourt International Airport.
It also declared that allegations of drug and alcohol use by its pilots were based on “inconsistent and uncoordinated” findings by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.
The development followed a high-profile investigative hearing by the Senate Committee on Aviation, amid growing concerns that the NSIB’s preliminary report — which initially alleged that several Air Peace crew members tested positive for alcohol and cannabis, before later narrowing the claim to two personnel — could tarnish Nigeria’s aviation image before global regulators.
Speaking after Thursday’s session, the Committee Chairman, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, warned that the discrepancies in the NSIB report could undermine confidence in Nigeria’s air safety rating if not urgently addressed.
“You can see that, unfortunately, most of those allegations are not true. The report was disjointed and not coordinated. You don’t accuse people wrongly, especially in aviation, where ICAO and other international laboratories are monitoring us closely,” Buhari said.
Buhari, who represents Oyo North Senatorial District, said the Senate’s review confirmed that the Air Peace aircraft sustained no damage during the runway excursion and returned to Lagos the same day.
He commended Air Peace and other domestic airlines for maintaining internal safety checks and random drug testing, noting that Nigeria should “encourage rather than destroy” indigenous carriers.
“Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines are our own. We need to support them, not damage their reputation with an unverified claim. The most important thing is that no lives were lost and the aircraft was not damaged,” he said.
The senator also disclosed that the National Assembly may soon introduce legislation mandating federal agencies and officials to patronise Nigerian airlines as part of efforts to strengthen the local aviation industry.
Earlier, Air Peace Chairman and CEO, Allen Onyema, who appeared before the committee, described the NSIB’s handling of the matter as misleading and damaging to the airline’s international reputation.
He said, “I initially did not want to honour this invitation. But on second thought, I came because the Senate members are our customers, and they have every right to be concerned about safety. I must, however, correct certain impressions created by the NSIB’s handling of this matter.”
Onyema clarified that the Port Harcourt incident resulted from human error, not mechanical failure.
“The aircraft in question had no single damage. It flew back to Lagos the same day. The pilot has flown for nearly 40 years — one of the most experienced in our fleet. He simply had a bad day,” he explained.
He also highlighted Air Peace’s strict internal safety culture, recalling that he once grounded eight aircraft in a single day after discovering a maintenance error.
“We could have hidden it, but we reported it ourselves to the NCAA. That is how seriously we take safety,” Onyema added.
The closed-door segment of the hearing continued late into the evening, with lawmakers expected to present a final report to the full Senate in the coming weeks.
The report is anticipated to recommend stronger coordination among aviation regulators and more transparent communication following incidents.
The Senate’s intervention follows weeks of public controversy after the NSIB claimed that a co-pilot and a cabin crew member involved in the Port Harcourt incident tested positive for alcohol and THC, allegations both individuals have since publicly denied.
