Yemi Obafemi
Air Peace has dismissed reports circulating on online that one of its pilots and a co-pilot tested positive for hard drugs and alcohol after an incident at the Port Harcourt Airport on July 13, 2025.
In a statement signed by its management, the airline said it has not received any official communication from the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) regarding such findings, over a month after the incident.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to media stories on a purported preliminary report by the NSIB regarding the incident involving one of our aircraft at Port Harcourt.
“We are yet to receive any official communications from the NSIB on such findings over a month after the incident and after the testing of the crew for alcohol, which took place in less than an hour of the incident.
“As a responsible airline, we place utmost priority on safety, transparency, and compliance, and it is important to set the record straight.
“Air Peace conducts frequent alcohol and drug tests on our crew. We have a very strict alcohol use policy that is stricter than the 8 hours before the flight as provided in the regulations. Drug use is a NO-NO!
“The captain of the affected flight was grounded and relieved from further flight duty till date for failure to adhere to Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles and for disregarding standard go-around procedures as advised by his co-pilot but not for testing positive to the breathalyser test, as the result was not communicated to us by NSIB to date.
“Contrary to reports in the media, the First Officer (Co-pilot), who demonstrated professionalism in calling for a go-around to his captain, has been reinstated into active flying duties, with full approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
“The NCAA cleared him. If he was involved in drug or alcohol use, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority would not have cleared him to resume flight duties. ”
However, the NSIB in its preliminary report stated that toxicological screening conducted after the incident revealed that both the captain and first officer tested positive for Ethyl Glucuronide, a marker of recent alcohol consumption. It also noted that a cabin crew member tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis.
The report revealed that: “Toxicological screening conducted post-incident revealed that Captain and first officer tested positive for Ethyl Glucuronide, indicating recent alcohol consumption.”
“The aircraft, operating as a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt with 103 persons on board, landed long on Runway 21 after an unstabilised final approach. The aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and came to a final stop 209 metres into the clearway.
“All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and no injuries were reported.”
