Air Peace Blames Harmattan For Flight Delays, Cites Poor Visibility At ‘Certain Airports’
Air Peace Blames Harmattan For Flight Delays, Cites Poor Visibility At ‘Certain Airports’
The airline stated this in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by the management of Air Peace Limited.
Air Peace has blamed recent flight delays on prevailing Harmattan weather, noting that reduced visibility at several airports compelled the airline to adjust operations in the interest of passenger safety.
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The airline stated this in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by the management of Air Peace Limited.
In a flight operation advisory issued to passengers on Thursday, the airline said, “We sincerely apologise for the recent flight delays experienced on some of our routes and appreciate your patience. Current Harmattan weather conditions have led to reduced visibility at certain airports.”
The airline explained that the atmospheric conditions associated with the Harmattan season affected safe flight operations, making it necessary to alter schedules on some services.
“To ensure every flight operates safely and in full compliance with aviation standards, we have had to make careful operational adjustments on some services,” the airline said.
While acknowledging the inconvenience caused to passengers, the airline stressed that safety considerations informed its decisions.
“We understand that delays can cause inconvenience to your plans, and we do not take this lightly,” it said.
Air Peace further reassured passengers that safety remained its overriding concern, stating, “Please be assured that these decisions are made solely with your safety in mind which remains our highest priority. Thank you for choosing Air Peace.”
The airline added that despite the challenges posed by the Harmattan haze, it remains committed to safe operations.
“We are committed to transporting you safely, responsibly, and with the care you deserve, and we look forward to serving you on board,” it said.
In December 2025, operations on an Air Peace flight were disrupted after a ground handler’s conveyor belt struck the aircraft while passengers were already on board, forcing an unscheduled deboarding and causing delays across multiple routes.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Micheal Achimugu, disclosed the incident. He explained that the conveyor belt had damaged the aircraft’s engine cover during ground operations, rendering the plane unsafe to continue its scheduled flights.
Achimugu noted that the aircraft had been programmed to operate nine sectors, meaning the disruption immediately affected all passengers booked on those services
“All passengers waiting for its operations are automatically disrupted, and the airline will face backlash, refund issues, compensation, etc, for a damage that was not its fault,” he said, adding that the airline would also spend “large sums of foreign currency to fix” damage caused by third-party service providers.
He revealed that the aircraft involved was one of Air Peace’s newly acquired Embraer E2 jets and was “fully booked until January 15th, 2026.”
As a result, “all innocent passengers booked for its operations will experience one delay or cancellation,” he stated.
Achimugu noted that despite incidents being caused by ground handlers or other service providers, airlines rarely disclose such details publicly.
Instead, passengers are often told flights were delayed or cancelled for “technical/operational reasons.”
He said this practice leaves airlines bearing “the anger of justifiably aggravated passengers” as well as regulatory consequences under Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
