An Air Peace aircraft assigned to evacuate stranded Nigerians from South Africa was unable to complete its mission after its windshield reportedly cracked in Johannesburg, forcing the airline to send a replacement aircraft. The Air Peace evacuation flight was expected to transport about 270 Nigerians back home before the technical issue interrupted the operation. Despite the setback, the Air Peace evacuation flight continued after the airline arranged an alternative aircraft.
Sources familiar with the evacuation exercise said the incident occurred on Tuesday before Flight P47668 was due to depart from Johannesburg. The aircraft reportedly could not proceed with the evacuation after the damage was discovered, prompting Air Peace to deploy another plane to complete the mission.
A source also claimed that the Federal Government spends between $350,000 and $450,000 on each evacuation flight, although the figure has not been independently verified.
Responding to enquiries, Air Peace spokesperson Osifo Whiskey-Efe confirmed that the aircraft developed “a technical issue” shortly after arriving at OR Tambo International Airport.
He explained that a routine inspection after landing revealed a crack on the co-pilot’s side windshield. According to him, the airline immediately withdrew the aircraft from service in line with its safety procedures.
“The replacement Boeing 777 has since departed Lagos for Johannesburg and is expected to return the evacuees to Nigeria tomorrow,” the spokesperson said, stressing that Air Peace would never compromise operational safety to keep to flight schedules.
The Federal Government approved the evacuation following renewed xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals, including Nigerians, in South Africa. Although intending returnees were initially expected to pay for their tickets, the government later made the exercise free after President Bola Tinubu approved funding.
The screening of registered evacuees began on 4 June through a joint exercise involving the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, the South African Police, and immigration authorities.
According to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), more than 1,000 Nigerians registered for the voluntary repatriation programme, with the government planning to use five Air Peace flights for the operation. The Air Peace evacuation flight incident comes as aviation experts continue to emphasise the importance of strict safety standards during special evacuation missions.
Could this incident lead to even stricter safety checks for future evacuation flights?
