An Air Peace aircraft was grounded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after it collided with a large antelope while taxiing on the runway.

The impact decimated the animal and rendered the aircraft on the ground, causing flight disruptions.

Confirming the incident, the Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, on Sunday, via his official X account, clarified the implications of such occurrences.

According to him, “Monitoring reports yesterday indicated that an Air Peace aircraft ran into a large antelope, decimating the animal and leaving the aircraft AOG (aircraft on ground).”

He added that as a result of this incident, flights meant to be operated by this aircraft would naturally be disrupted, even though engineers are on the ground to assess and fix the plane. Passengers waiting would naturally be infuriated.

Incidents like this are literal illustrations of the disruptions NOT caused by the airlines (domestic or international),” he said.

Achimugu emphasized that while such events are beyond the control of the airline, they do not absolve operators from their responsibilities to passengers.

“This explainer is for illustration purposes, not to excuse airlines when they fail to do their duties to passengers,” he said.“

Even with situations like this, the airline still owes its passengers the information, refund, and other forms of care they are entitled to, and can still be sanctioned if they fail to provide the same,” Achimugu added.

The agency also noted that efforts are currently underway to repair the aircraft and resume normal operations.