by Willy Okonji-
Lagos, Nigeria – An Air Peace flight en route to Owerri was forced to return to Lagos on Saturday after a bird strike mid-air, marking the airline’s 34th such incident this year and raising fresh concerns about aviation safety and wildlife control around Nigerian airports.
Flight P47150 had just departed Lagos when a bird collided with the aircraft, prompting the pilot to initiate a precautionary air return. Passengers were later transferred to another aircraft to complete the journey.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Sunday, Air Peace expressed regret over the disruption and warned passengers of possible delays across its route network due to the growing frequency of such events.
“We regret to inform our valued passengers of ongoing flight disruptions on some of our route networks today,” the statement read. “We empathise with our passengers over the inconvenience caused and appeal for your patience and understanding as we work diligently to minimise disruptions.”
The airline revealed that Saturday’s occurrence was the 34th bird strike it had experienced in 2025 alone. Over the past five years, the airline has suffered 115 such incidents, most of them on domestic routes.
Speaking to ThisDay, an airline official who asked not to be named expressed frustration at the persistent problem:
“This is number 34 bird strike for this year alone. Please make this known to the public because passengers will blame the airline for delays and cancellations, but most of the causes of flight disruptions are beyond the airline.”
Just last week, bird strikes affected two other Air Peace flights on the Port Harcourt and Owerri routes, grounding the aircraft for repairs and further straining operational capacity.
While airlines often bear the brunt of flight disruptions, aviation experts say the responsibility for wildlife control at airports falls squarely on the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). Though FAAN has announced plans to improve bird hazard management with new technologies and techniques, results remain limited across several airports.
Aviation stakeholders have repeatedly called for urgent and sustained efforts to address bird strikes, warning that the frequency of such incidents poses a growing risk to flight safety.
