The leadership of Air Peace, the largest airline in West Africa, has addressed concerns regarding a recent report about their Akure-Abuja flight, asserting that there was no incident that caused alarm among the passengers. Labeling the report as inaccurate, the airline urged for an immediate cessation of such negative coverage.

It was reported earlier that passengers experienced a state of alarm on Monday when the windshield of an Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft operated by Air Peace was shattered during its landing in Abuja. As the plane approached Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, the sudden breakage of the windshield raised significant concerns among passengers and aviation personnel present at the scene.

Among those on board was human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, who was en route to Abuja. A witness at the airport, who identified herself as Funmi, described the event as frightening and expressed her frustration with the airline for not providing an explanation regarding the windshield incident at the time it occurred.

Efforts to reach Abdullahi Musa, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, were unsuccessful, as he did not answer calls or respond to text messages regarding the situation.

Bimbo Olajide, spokesperson for the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, indicated that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) would be better suited to address the incident. The NSIB is responsible for enhancing transport safety and conducting thorough investigations into transport accidents and incidents in Nigeria to determine their probable causes.

Olajide clarified that the NSIB typically investigates accidents and serious incidents, stating, "This is classified as an incident, and the NSIB is tasked with investigating accidents and serious incidents, but this situation falls under the category of an incident, which is the NCAA's responsibility."

When contacted by phone, Michael Achimugu, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, assured that he would consult with his team and provide feedback to our reporter, but no response was received by the time of publication.

The Chief Operating Officer of the airline involved, Oluwatoyin Olajide, was questioned about the events that resulted in the windshield being shattered. In a heated response to our correspondent, Olajide asserted that the safety of the passengers on board was not compromised. Previously, Olajide had declined to respond to our correspondent's inquiries but became agitated upon learning that the incident had caused alarm among the passengers.

She responded, “What panic for the flying public? Can you verify what you’ve just said? Why are you always very quick to publish negative news about your own?

“Where were you when BA (British Airways) had engine issues and was grounded in Lagos for four days? Why was this not published? This is not a fight but just wondering where you gathered the wrong report from?

“We did not have a shattered screen neither was passenger’s safety jeopardized. What happened is a normal snag and necessary safety measures were implemented. The safety of our equipment and passengers is our top priority.”

An airline insider, who requested anonymity to avoid breaching internal protocols, has verified the situation to our correspondent. They stated, "The aircraft has been temporarily placed in service to mitigate any risks. It is important to note that the windshield is cracked, not shattered as previously reported."