AIR Peace has confirmed that one of its flights encountered turbulence mid-air en route Benin-Abuja on Friday, April 25.
The airline confirmed this in a statement on Saturday, April 26, by its head of corporate communications, Ejike Ndiulo.
He said the aircraft, flight P47171, was delayed in the air on Friday while heading from Benin to Abuja.
Ndiulo explained that during the aircraft’s descent into Abuja, the flight encountered turbulence due to adverse weather conditions, including thunderstorms.
“In line with global aviation safety standards, our crew activated appropriate safety protocols and held in a holding pattern until weather conditions improved,” Ndiulo said.
Recall,social media users had complained on Saturday that the aircraft hung in the air longer than necessary before landing.
Ndiulo, noted in a clarification response that no casualty was recorded while addressing the incident.
“We are pleased to confirm that the aircraft landed safely and the passengers disembarked normally. Air Peace is unwavering in its commitment to ensuring the highest standards of safety across all our operations,” he added.
The ICIR can report that when an aircraft is held in a holding pattern, it means the plane was instructed to fly a specific course around a designated point while waiting for permission from the control tower to proceed with its planned route, approach, or landing.
This is often due to factors like traffic congestion at the given airport, weather delays, or other operational issues that could result in an incident or accident if the aircraft had landed against instructions.
Air Peace,it would be noted had on Wednesday, April 23, suspended all its flight operations nationwide following a strike action embarked upon by workers of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
According to the airline, it is unsafe to fly without the availability of ‘QNH’ (hazardous weather) reports from NiMet, which is required for safe landings.
As a result, it suspended all its flight operations nationwide till the strike was called off on Thursday, April 24, stressing that the safety of passengers and its equipment were top priorities.