Air Peace said its scheduled Lagos-London Gatwick service on 13 May 2026 was disrupted after enroute access issues with the airspace authorities of an African country forced the aircraft to return to Lagos. The airline said the plane landed safely under established international aviation procedures.
“Consequently, the London Gatwick service was rescheduled while the matter was being resolved,” Air Peace said on Thursday, after the disruption happened on Wednesday, according to The Cable. The airline said affected passengers were promptly informed and that care arrangements included communication updates, support services and necessary assistance. It added: “Air Peace sincerely apologises to all affected passengers for the inconvenience caused by the unforeseen disruption which was beyond our control.”
The latest disruption landed days after another Air Peace London service drew scrutiny. On May 1, the airline said its Gatwick-Lagos flight was interrupted by a bird strike, which it described as a force majeure event in aviation. That aircraft was immediately grounded for comprehensive safety inspections, a move the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority later said was the right one after a technical issue was found.
Speaking yesterday in Lagos, NCAA Director-General Chris Najomo said the regulator had investigated a separate Air Peace complaint involving a Boeing 777 aircraft bound for Lagos. He said engineers halted operations after detecting a fault during routine checks, and that the airline contacted Boeing and was advised not to fly the aircraft. “Air Peace did the right thing by not operating that flight,” Najomo said. “They contacted Boeing and were advised not to fly the aircraft.”
Najomo also pushed back against criticism of Nigerian carriers over delays, saying, “These are machines. Anything can happen. Flight delays happen all over the world. We should support our own.” He said the authority was intensifying consumer enlightenment campaigns through its Consumer Protection Department, and said the Federal Government had approved a 30 per cent discount on debts owed by airlines to aviation agencies, though it has not yet been implemented. He also said talks were ongoing with fuel marketers to address the high cost of Jet A1.
For Air Peace, the immediate issue is the same one that followed the earlier Gatwick disruption: keeping long-haul service moving while regulators, airports and foreign authorities sort out the problem. The question now is not whether the airline can explain the interruption, but how quickly the rescheduled service can get back to normal without another turnback.
