Air Peace Diverts Lagos-Asaba Flight Over Poor Visibility

Nigeria’s largest airline, Air peace has returned a Lagos bound flight to its point of departure after poor visibility around the runway at Asaba Airport made it unsafe to land.

The flight, P47860, was travelling from Lagos to Asaba when the aircraft was diverted back to Lagos because of the reduced visibility. According to the airline’s spokesperson, Osifo-Whiskey Efe, the disruption is expected to affect the airline’s schedule, potentially causing delays to other flights across its network.

Air Peace apologised to affected passengers, explaining that the decision was taken primarily to protect the safety of passengers and crew.

The airline said safety remains the guiding consideration behind its operational decisions.

Flight diversions are a standard aviation safety measure when weather or airport conditions make landing unsafe.

Poor visibility can be caused by factors such as heavy rain, haze, fog or other atmospheric conditions, and can make it difficult for pilots to clearly see the runway and surrounding environment.

Air Peace aircraft did not proceed with an approach into Asaba because visibility around the runway was considered inadequate. Rather than risk an unsafe landing, the crew returned to Lagos.

The diversion can also have a knock-on effect on an airline’s wider schedule. When an aircraft arrives late at its original destination or returns to its departure airport, subsequent flights using that aircraft may also be delayed.

This explains Air Peace’s warning that the disruption could affect other flights across its network.