Passengers aboard an Air Peace Embraer ERJ 145 were thrown into panic on Monday when the aircraft’s windshield shattered during its landing at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The incident raised immediate concerns among both passengers and aviation personnel. Notably, human rights advocate Omoyele Sowore was among those on board, traveling to the capital at the time, according to The Punch.
A witness at the airport, who identified herself as Funmi, described the incident as “scary” and expressed her dissatisfaction with Air Peace for not providing an explanation regarding the shattered windshield on the spot.
She voiced concerns about the lack of communication from the airline following the alarming event.
Attempts to reach the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Abdullahi Musa for comments on the incident were unsuccessful. He did not respond to calls or text messages regarding the matter.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, Bimbo Olajide, noted that the NCAA would be in the best position to respond to the incident.
The NSIB is responsible for promoting transport safety and conducting comprehensive investigations into transport accidents and incidents in Nigeria, with the aim of identifying their probable causes.
Olajide said the NSIB is expected to investigate accidents and not incidents of that nature.
“The is classified as an incident and NSIB is expected to investigate accident and serious incident but the development falls in the category of an incident and not serious incident or accident. This falls within the purview of the NCAA,” Olajide stated.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, promised to speak with his staff and put make a statement, but never did till press time.
When questioned about the incident that led to the shattered windshield, the Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace, Oluwatoyin Olajide responded angrily, asserting that the safety of the passengers was not compromised.
Olajide who had earlier ignored calls became angry when told that it was gathered that the development caused panic among the flying passengers.
She replied “What panic for the flying public? Can you verify what you’ve just said? Why are you always very quick to publish negative news about your own?
“Where were you when BA (British Airways) had engine issues and was grounded in Lagos for four days? Why was this not published? This is not a fight but just wondering where you gathered the wrong report from?
“We did not have a shattered screen neither was passenger’s safety jeopardized. What happened is a normal snag and necessary safety measures were implemented. The safety of our equipment and passengers is our top priority.”
