An Air Peace aircraft scheduled to evacuate stranded Nigerians from South Africa was unable to operate after its windshield reportedly shattered in Johannesburg, forcing the airline to deploy a replacement, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.
Sources familiar with the evacuation operation told PREMIUM TIMES that the incident occurred on Tuesday in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the aircraft had been scheduled to pick up about 270 Nigerians.
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The sources said the aircraft, operating Flight P47668, could not continue with the evacuation after its windshield shattered before the evacuation began.
Air Peace subsequently dispatched another aircraft to complete the evacuation.
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A source familiar with the operation also told PREMIUM TIMES that the Federal Government pays between $350,000 to $450,000 per evacuation flight, although the newspaper has not independently verified the figure.
Responding to PREMIUM TIMES’ enquiries, Air Peace spokesperson, Osifo Whiskey-Efe, confirmed that the aircraft scheduled to operate its fourth evacuation flight from Johannesburg to Lagos developed “a technical issue” after arriving at OR Tambo International Airport.
The airline’s spokesperson said a routine post-flight inspection identified a crack on the co-pilot’s side windshield, prompting the immediate withdrawal of the aircraft from service in line with the airline’s safety procedures.
According to him, Air Peace informed the relevant government authorities and the affected passengers of the development, provided hotel accommodation and refreshments for the passengers, and dispatched a replacement Boeing 777 from Lagos to complete the evacuation.
“The replacement Boeing 777 has since departed Lagos for Johannesburg and is expected to return the evacuees to Nigeria tomorrow,” the spokesperson said, adding that the airline would never compromise operational safety for flight schedules.
Background
The Federal Government approved the evacuation of Nigerians stranded in South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals, including Nigerians.
READ ALSO: Xenophobia: Two more Nigerians killed in South Africa
Initially, the government announced that Nigerians interested in returning home would pay for their flights. However, it later reversed the decision after President Bola Tinubu approved funding for the evacuation, making the exercise free for registered returnees.
The screening of prospective evacuees commenced 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. The commission said the Federal Government planned to deploy five Air Peace flights for the operation, with the first batch of evacuees expected to return to Nigeria as arrangements were finalised.
The latest development comes as aviation stakeholders continue to stress the importance of ensuring that aircraft deployed for special evacuation operations meet all prescribed safety and operational requirements.
