The management of Air Peace has dismissed reports linking its crew to the use of alcohol and cannabis following an incident at the Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.
There were widespread reports on Thursday that the airline crew were indicted by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) of frequent alcohol and drug use but in a statement on Friday, the airline debunked the reports, saying its crew has always operated under strict policies and maintains a zero-tolerance stance on drug use.
The NSIB had released its preliminary report into the Port Harcourt incident involving an Air Peace Boeing 737-524 aircraft, registered 5N-BQQ. The flight, which carried 103 passengers and crew from Lagos, landed long on Runway 21 after an unstabilised approach, eventually stopping 209 metres into the clearway.
The bureau disclosed that initial toxicological tests revealed positive results for alcohol in some flight crew members, while a cabin crew member tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis. The findings, according to the NSIB, are currently being reviewed under human performance and safety management considerations.
But in the statement posted on its X handle, the airline maintained that the NSIB has yet to formally communicate any official findings to it.
It described the reports as misleading and clarified that neither it nor its crew had received any confirmation of the alleged preliminary report by the NSIB more than a month after the alleged incident and the immediate post-incident alcohol testing of the crew.
“To date, we have never received any official communications from the NSIB on such findings over a month after the incident and after the testing of the crew for alcohol which took place in less than an hour of the incident,” the airline said.
“As a responsible airline, we place utmost priority on safety, transparency, and compliance, and it is important to set the record straight.”
Providing details of its internal response to the Port Harcourt incident, Air Peace confirmed that the captain of the affected flight was immediately grounded and relieved of flying duties for disregarding standard go-around procedures and failing to observe Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles.
The airline, however, stressed that the action was not related to alcohol use, as no such test results have been formally communicated by the NSIB.
“Following the incident, we took immediate and decisive action: The captain of the affected flight was immediately grounded and relieved from further flight duties to date for failure to adhere to Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles and for disregarding standard go-around procedures as advised by his co-pilot but not for testing positive to breathalyser test as the result was not communicated to us by NSIB to date.
“If he was involved in drug or alcohol use, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority would not have cleared him to resume flight duties,” the statement noted.
Air Peace added that should any eventual confirmation of a positive alcohol test emerge against the captain, the airline would increase the frequency of its crew testing while also intensifying its strict Fitness-for-Duty checks and internal monitoring.
