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Passengers panic over airline’s conflicting ‘fault’ information - PUNCH
Passengers who boarded an Air Peace Lagos–Abuja flight were thrown into panic on Wednesday following conflicting reports from airline officials over a ‘fault’ that delayed their departure by nearly two hours.
A viral video on social media showed visibly distressed passengers confronting airline staff inside the aircraft, demanding a replacement plane and expressing distrust in the safety of the one they were in at the time.
In the viral video, a passenger aggressively appeals for a flight change, while others chorus their concerns anxiously. Initial information from the cockpit indicated that a technical issue had been detected and was being resolved by engineers.
However, confusion erupted when another cabin crew member later attributed the delay to a minor fault in the Public Address System, stating it had been fixed and that the aircraft was cleared for takeoff.
Passengers, already agitated by the delay, became more unsettled by the contradictory explanations.
A passenger who travelled in the aircraft, Chinwe Okafor, gave an insight about the situation in a Facebook post. “My flight from Lagos to Abuja was scheduled for 1:40 pm. We boarded on time, but shortly after, we were informed of a technical fault,” she stated.
She further noted that “later, someone else told us it was just a microphone issue. Imagine the confusion. First, it was a technical fault. Then, just a microphone. How do you expect people to feel safe with that kind of inconsistency?”
Okafor said passengers were eventually informed that another aircraft would be sent to pick them up, but after close to an additional hour of waiting, the same aircraft was declared airworthy and ready for departure.
Following the latest announcement, Okafor added that several passengers reportedly disembarked, citing safety concerns.
“Some of us stayed behind, summoning enough courage to complete the trip, Risky,” she added
She, however, called for transparency and professionalism, as other passengers demanded clearer communication from the airline in future incidents.
Responding to the incident, Air Peace Corporate Communications Officer, Osifo-Whiskey Efe, confirmed the delay but added that there was no cause for panic.
He said, “It was just a minor issue with the PAS (Public Address System), honestly nothing serious. But because at Air Peace we prioritise safety, we initially considered deploying another aircraft. But the engineer resolved the issue quickly, and there was no safety risk at any time.”
He assured passengers that the airline would never operate a flight if any fault posed a safety concern.
