NCAA gives Air Peace a clean bill of health after checking all its aircraft following Lagos accident

NIGERIAN Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) officials have given Air Peace the all clear after carrying out a technical audit of the airline's fleet of aircraft and ascertaining that its planes meet all the standard set for domestic carriers.

Earlier this month, an Air Peace plane lost a tyre when it crash landed at Lagos airport, raising fears that the airline's fleet may not be up to scratch. Over the years, many Nigerian airlines have been found wanting as their aircraft have been discovered to be too old, badly maintained and not airworthy.

In response to the recent Lagos incident, NCAA officials decided to carry out checks on all of Air Peace's planes and according to the regulatory agency, all the operational aircraft on the fleet of Air Peace are airworthy. NCAA officials said the audit was to also mitigate the reoccurrence of the July 23, incident on the runway of the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos.

NCAA spokesman Sam Adurogboye, said: “This technical audit was not limited to this recent incident as the airline’s operational, technical and safety performance in the last 12 months were also scrutinised. It revealed that all the operational aircraft on the fleet of Air Peace Limited are airworthy and this is to assure the flying public that all the aircraft on the fleet of the NCAA authorised Air Operators Certificate holders operating in Nigeria are airworthy.”

He added that the NCAA would continue to ensure that only airworthy aircraft operate in the country. According to the NCAA, its sister agency, the Accident Investigation Bureau, is currently investigating the Air Peace incident to determine the immediate and remote causes as required by international standards stipulated in the International Civil Aviation Organisation Annex 13.