The Senate on Thursday cleared Nigeria’s largest airline, Air Peace, of any wrongdoing in the July 13 runway overrun at Port Harcourt International Airport, stating that allegations of drug and alcohol use by its pilots were based on “inconsistent and uncoordinated” findings by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.
The Senate’s resolution followed an investigative hearing by its Committee on Aviation amid concerns that the NSIB’s preliminary report, which first alleged that several Air Peace crew members tested positive for alcohol and cannabis before later reducing the number to two, could harm Nigeria’s aviation reputation with international regulators.
Speaking after the Thursday session, Committee Chairman Senator Abdulfatai Buhari cautioned that the inconsistencies in the NSIB report could erode confidence in Nigeria’s air safety rating if left unaddressed.
“You can see that, unfortunately, most of those allegations are not true,” Buhari said. “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, who represents Oyo North, noted that the Senate’s review confirmed the Air Peace aircraft sustained no damage during the runway excursion and safely returned to Lagos the same day.
He commended Air Peace and other domestic airlines for upholding random drug testing and strict internal safety protocols, stressing that Nigeria should “encourage rather than destroy” its indigenous carriers.
“Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines are our own. We need to support them, not damage their reputation with unverified claims,” he said. “The most important thing is that no lives were lost, and the aircraft was not damaged.”
He further revealed that the Senate may soon propose legislation requiring federal agencies and government officials to prioritize Nigerian airlines, as part of efforts to strengthen the domestic aviation industry.
Earlier, Air Peace Chairman and CEO, Allen Onyema, told the committee that the initial NSIB report was misleading and damaging to the airline’s international reputation.
“I initially did not want to honour this invitation,” he said. “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 stressed that the runway incident resulted from human error rather than any mechanical failure.
He said, “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.”
Onyema also underscored Air Peace’s strong internal compliance culture, recalling that he once grounded eight aircraft in a single day “We could have hidden it, but we reported it ourselves to the NCAA. That is how seriously we take safety,” he said.
The closed-door segment of the hearing extended late into the evening, with lawmakers expected to submit a final report to the full Senate in the coming weeks. The report is likely to recommend stronger coordination among aviation regulators and greater transparency in post-incident communications.
The Senate’s intervention follows two months of public controversy over the NSIB’s toxicology claims 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.
