NCAA Investigates As Air Peace Aircraft Hits Antelope At Asaba Airport’s Runway

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has commence investigation into the circumstances surrounding the antelope’s intrusion onto the runway of the Asaba Airport, Delta state.

BIGPEN NIGERIA (https://bigpenngr.com) reports this is coming as an aircraft belonging to Air Peace, on Saturday, hit an antelope on the runway at Asaba Airport, causing the death of the animal while damaging the plane.

The severity of the damage has led to the classification of the Air Peace plane as Aircraft on Ground (AOG), grounding it and causing disruptions to the airline’s scheduled flight operations.

NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, who confirmed the incident via a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, stated that these kinds of unforeseen events can lead to disruption of flight schedules.

He said: “Monitoring reports yesterday indicated that an Air Peace aircraft ran into a large antelope, decimating the animal and leaving the aircraft on ground. As a result, flights meant to be operated by this aircraft would naturally be disrupted, even though engineers are on the ground to assess and fix the plane. Passengers waiting would naturally be infuriated.”

He further said that while the runway incursion and subsequent collision were circumstances beyond the direct control of the airline, Air Peace still bears the responsibility of keeping passengers informed about the disruptions. Additionally, he stressed the airline’s obligation to offer refunds to affected travelers and provide them with necessary care and assistance during this period of inconvenience.

He stated that the NCAA would not hesitate to impose sanctions on Air Peace should the airline fail to meet these responsibilities to its stranded passengers. The agency reassured the traveling public regarding the overall safety measures in place at the airport and also pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the antelope’s intrusion onto the runway.