Passengers on an Air Peace flight from Lagos to Abuja experienced a tense and unsettling delay on Wednesday after conflicting reports from airline staff sparked confusion and panic aboard the aircraft. The incident, which has since gone viral on social media, involved passengers questioning the safety of the flight due to a lack of clear communication from the crew regarding a technical issue.
The flight, scheduled to depart at 1:40 pm, was delayed for nearly two hours, leading to agitation among the passengers. A video widely circulated online captured some of them confronting airline staff, demanding a replacement aircraft and raising safety concerns. One visibly upset passenger was seen pleading for a change of plane, while others echoed his concerns in raised voices.
Initial announcements from the cockpit pointed to a technical fault that engineers were working to resolve. However, confusion deepened when a cabin crew member later claimed the delay was due to a minor issue with the Public Address System (PAS) — reportedly already fixed.
The contradictory messages heightened anxiety, with many passengers openly expressing doubts about the safety of the flight. One of the passengers, Chinwe Okafor, shared her account on Facebook, confirming that the lack of consistent information eroded trust in the airline’s handling of the situation.
“We boarded on time, but shortly after, we were informed of a technical fault. Then later, someone else said it was just a microphone issue. How do you expect people to feel safe with that kind of inconsistency?” Okafor wrote.
She noted that after waiting for nearly an hour more, passengers were told that the same aircraft was now ready for takeoff — contradicting an earlier assurance that a different plane would be deployed. The sudden reversal prompted several passengers to disembark, unwilling to risk flying on a jet they no longer trusted.
“Some of us stayed behind, summoning enough courage to complete the trip. Risky,” Okafor added, while calling for more transparency and professionalism from the airline in future occurrences.
Responding to media inquiries, Air Peace’s Corporate Communications Officer, Osifo-Whiskey Efe, confirmed the delay but downplayed the situation. “It was just a minor issue with the PAS, honestly nothing serious. But because at Air Peace we prioritise safety, we initially considered deploying another aircraft,” he said.
Efe added that the engineer resolved the problem quickly and stressed that there was no safety risk at any point. He reassured passengers that Air Peace would never operate a flight unless all safety protocols were fully met.
