Air Peace has explained the disruption of its Abuja-Maiduguri flight, attributing the incident to the unavailability of aviation fuel and a subsequent restriction on flight operations at Maiduguri airport after sunset.
Gatekeepers News reports that the airline issued the clarification following reports of the disruption involving passengers travelling from Abuja to Maiduguri.
According to Air Peace, its Abuja operations were initially affected by the unavailability of Jet A1 aviation fuel. The airline said the situation affected flight operations and caused delays.
Air Peace said the fuel became available later, allowing some affected flights to resume. However, the Abuja-Maiduguri service could not operate as planned because the aircraft could no longer arrive at Maiduguri within the airport’s permitted operating period.
The airline explained that the Maiduguri airport tower had initially granted an extension for the aircraft to arrive but subsequently informed the carrier that the airport could not receive the flight beyond sunset.
As a result, the flight was disrupted and the affected passengers were provided with refreshments and hotel accommodation while arrangements were made for the flight to operate the following day.
Air Peace apologised to the affected passengers for the inconvenience and said safety remained its priority.
The airline’s explanation comes amid ongoing concerns over flight delays and cancellations in Nigeria, with airlines often citing operational constraints, airport restrictions and fuel availability among factors affecting their schedules.
