About 150 passengers were stranded on Friday after a ground handling accident disrupted Air Peace operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The incident involved a newly acquired Embraer 195-E2 aircraft operated by Air Peace. The aircraft, with registration number 5N-BYH, was scheduled to operate Flight P47750 from Lagos to Accra.
A luggage conveyor belt truck belonging to the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) struck one of the aircraft’s engines while it was on the ground.
The collision occurred shortly after passengers completed boarding. The impact damaged the aircraft’s thrust reverser cowling, a critical part of the engine casing.
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Air Peace immediately grounded the aircraft for safety checks and asked all passengers to disembark. The action led to delays and the cancellation of several flights.
A source said the aircraft was scheduled to operate nine flight sectors on Friday. All nine services were disrupted, forcing the airline to rebook many passengers while others remained stranded.
The source added that the incident would have serious financial implications. Engine-related repairs often cost millions of dollars. A similar cowling damage earlier this year reportedly cost an airline about $3.5 million.
NCAA Confirms Incident
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr Michael Achimugu, confirmed the disruption of Air Peace’s Lagos–Accra service.
In a post on X, Achimugu said passengers had already boarded when the ground handling equipment hit the aircraft and damaged the engine cover.
He explained that the aircraft was programmed to operate nine flight legs. Passengers booked on those flights would inevitably face delays or cancellations.
Achimugu said Air Peace would face compensation claims, refund obligations and reputational damage for an incident it did not cause. He added that the airline would also incur heavy foreign exchange costs to repair the aircraft.
He disclosed that the damaged jet was one of Air Peace’s newly delivered E2 aircraft and was fully booked until January 15, 2026. As a result, future operations would also be affected.
The NCAA spokesperson said airlines often describe such disruptions as “technical” or “operational” issues instead of naming service providers at fault.
He called for stricter accountability for poorly trained ground handling personnel. He also revealed that the NCAA is considering tougher sanctions for service providers found culpable.
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Achimugu urged passengers to demand transparency about the true causes of flight disruptions. He appealed for patience, noting that Air Peace’s standby aircraft were already deployed elsewhere and have fewer seats than the damaged E2 jet.
“This often makes airlines appear responsible when they are not,” he said.
Esther Ososanya is an investigative journalist with Pinnacle Daily, reporting across health, business, environment, metro, Fct and crime. Known for her bold, empathetic storytelling, she uncovers hidden truths, challenges broken systems, and gives voice to overlooked Nigerians. Her work drives national conversations and demands accountability one powerful story at a time.
