Air Peace Reacts To NSIB Drug, Alcohol Claims

The management of Air Peace has reacted to a purported preliminary report by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) regarding an incident involving one of its aircraft at the Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.

New Telegraph had earlier reported that the NSIB on Friday indicted an Air Peace pilot and a Co-pilot for taking hard drugs and alcohol.

The accident investigators tested the crew positive for the substances after the aircraft they flew was involved in a runway excursion at the Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.

Reacting to the report, Air Peace, in a statement signed by its management, said they are yet to receive 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 within less than an hour of the incident.

The airline emphasised that it places the highest priority on safety, transparency, and compliance, describing the report as misleading.

The airline further explained its internal policies on crew discipline, stating, “Air Peace conducts frequent alcohol and drug tests on our crew. We have a very strict alcohol use policy that is stricter than the 8 hours before the flight as provided in the regulations. Drug use is a NO-NO!”

Providing details of actions taken after the Port Harcourt incident, Air Peace revealed that the captain of the affected flight was grounded, adding that if the relieved captain’s test result later proves positive, then it would “Increase the frequency of our alcohol and drug tests on our crew.”

Air Peace also stressed the importance of retraining and stricter monitoring going forward.

The airline’s statement partly read: “Our attention has been drawn to media stories on a purported preliminary report by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) currently circulating online and in the media regarding the incident involving one of our aircraft at Port Harcourt on July 13, 2025.

“We are yet to receive 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 captain of the affected flight was grounded and relieved from further flight duty till 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 the breathalyser test, as the result was not communicated to us by NSIB to date.

“As a responsible airline, we place utmost priority on safety, transparency, and compliance, and it is important to set the record straight.

“Again, the importance of Enhanced Crew Resource Management Training cannot be overemphasised. We will intensify strict Fitness-for-Duty checks and Stronger Internal Monitoring to prevent any breach of our zero-tolerance safety policy.

“Air Peace has consistently maintained a strong safety record and strictly implements global best practices in all aspects of its operations, and we reassure our esteemed passengers and the Nigerian public that safety will never be compromised in Air Peace.”