By Kolawole Ojebisi
Passengers on board of Air Peace Abuja-Lagos bound flight in the early hours of Thursday momentarily had their hearts in their mouths when a bird struck the aircraft.
The development happened shortly after takeoff in Abuja prompting the disruption of the flight.
While reacting to the development in a statement issued by the Head of Corporate Communications, Ejike Ndiulo, Air Peace noted that the flight from Abuja to Lagos took off around 6:30am.
“We wish to inform our esteemed passengers that our Abuja-Lagos 06:30 flight experienced a bird strike before take-off, prompting a ramp return as a safety measure. All passengers disembarked normally,” the airline said.
“We have deployed a replacement aircraft for the affected flight in order to minimize disruptions, thus ensuring that passengers continue their journeys promptly.
“We appeal for the understanding of our valued passengers impacted by this development, as well as those on other flights that may experience delays.
“At Air Peace, we are committed to providing safe, comfortable, and reliable air travel for all our passengers.”
A passenger, Inibehe Effiong, a Lagos-based human rights lawyer, took to his Facebook page to share his experience on the flight.
Effiong said the development threw some passengers into panic with the attendant screaming.
“While taxing on the runway and just before takeoff, our Air Peace flight from Abuja to Lagos scheduled for 6:30 AM today was stopped forcefully, resulting in panic and screams by some passengers,” he posted.
“The captain attributed the incident to a bird strike. We have been deboarded to await either a replacement or repair of the aircraft.
“Thankfully, whatever happened did not occur after takeoff. It would have been scarier.”
A few minutes later, Effiong posted that the faulty aircraft had been replaced and the passengers were already boarding preparatory to the Lagos trip.
A bird strike is a collision between a bird and an aircraft which is in flight or on a takeoff or landing roll.
This is the second time this month that passengers boarding Air Peace flight would have a scary experience after takeoff.
Recall that on November 4, one of Air Peace’s flights heading to Abuja from Benin could not continue the trip due to a technical snag the aircraft encountered shortly after takeoff.
