Flight operations at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja were briefly disrupted on Saturday after an Air Peace aircraft collided with a large antelope while taxiing on the runway.
The incident, which rendered the aircraft temporarily unserviceable—classified as Aircraft on Ground (AOG)—led to delays and cancellations of some scheduled flights.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) confirmed the development in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr. Michael Achimugu.
“Monitoring reports yesterday indicated that an Air Peace aircraft ran into a large antelope, decimating the animal and leaving the aircraft on ground,” Achimugu stated via a post on X.
He noted that engineers were promptly deployed to assess the damage and restore the aircraft to operational condition.
While acknowledging that the encounter with wildlife was an unforeseen event, Achimugu emphasized that the airline remains responsible for communicating with affected passengers.
“Although this was beyond the airline’s control, Air Peace is still obligated to inform passengers, offer refunds where applicable, and provide care during the disruption,” he said.
He also warned that the NCAA would not hesitate to take disciplinary action against the airline should it fail in fulfilling its obligations to passengers.
Wildlife encounters on airport runways are rare but not unheard of. The latest incident has raised fresh concerns about runway safety and perimeter fencing at major airports across Nigeria.
