•NAHCO equipment and an Air Peace Embraer 195-E2 aircraft at the Lagos airport following a ground handling incident
Flight operations involving a newly acquired Embraer 195-E2 aircraft belonging to Air Peace were disrupted today following a ground handling incident at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The airline confirmed the development in a statement, saying the incident occurred after passengers had boarded when a luggage conveyor belt vehicle operated by the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company collided with one of the aircraft’s engines.
According to Air Peace, the aircraft, with registration number 5N-BYH, was scheduled to operate Flight P47750 from Lagos to Accra at the time of the incident, reports The PUNCH.
The airline said the collision caused visible damage to the aircraft, including a dent and tear on the thrust reverser cowling, a component of the engine cover.
“In line with aviation safety procedures, an immediate technical assessment was carried out, leading to the grounding of the aircraft.
“All passengers already on board were asked to disembark, causing delays and disruptions to scheduled operations,” the statement added.
Air Peace added that the Embraer 195-E2 involved is part of its new fleet acquisitions, describing the damage as significant.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority spokesman, Michael Achimugu, also confirmed the incident in a post on his X handle, noting that the aircraft was expected to serve nine flight sectors, which may now be affected.
Beyond passenger inconvenience, the airline said the incident had financial implications, noting that repairs on modern aircraft engines are capital-intensive.
Achimugu said, “Air Peace has suffered a lot of these technical issues through no fault of theirs.
“We need to start naming and shaming poorly trained ground handling personnel whose inefficiency costs the airlines great reputational, financial, and technical damage.
“We will now be looking to strengthen the regulations in a way that also heavily sanctions service providers for matters like the type in the images below.
“Airlines should not be held responsible for situations like this, and passengers should be informed, most honestly, about the reasons for disruptions caused by these unfortunate scenarios. I do hope that there is enough insurance to cover the cost of losses like this one.
“In advance, I call for the understanding of passengers who were scheduled to fly this aircraft. I have asked about the standby aircraft.
“The airline has two (which is commendable), but those two have been deployed to cover two other similar situations. In any case, even if they were available, their seating capacities are less than the damaged E2.”
