Air Peace Limited has debunked a report by an online newspaper claiming that its Chairman and CEO, Allen Onyema, was stranded for over 24 hours at the Ekiti State Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport due to a lack of navigational aids.
A statement on Tuesday by the airline’s Head of Corporate Communications, Dr Ejike Ndiulo, described the report as false, inaccurate, and misleading, accusing the platform of deliberate misrepresentation to malign the airline and its leadership.
The airline clarified that the aircraft scheduled to pick up Onyema and his team on Saturday evening was unable to land due to poor weather conditions, specifically heavy rain. As per standard aviation safety protocols, the flight was rerouted back to Lagos, a common practice in global aviation. It emphasized that this was in no way a reflection of any inadequacy on the part of the airport, as suggested by the report.
Air Peace also dismissed claims that its pilot took a “risky manoeuvre” to leave Ekiti airport, calling it an outright fabrication designed to falsely suggest a breach of aviation safety protocols.
The airline reaffirmed its adherence to the highest international safety standards and stated that it would never engage in unsafe operations.
Furthermore, the airline criticized the news outlet for spreading what it described as sensational and misleading information despite having access to the correct details. It warned that such reckless journalism not only misinforms the public but also attempts to damage the reputation of Nigeria’s leading airline.
