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Denies Alleged Abandonment of Passengers in London Airport
- Safiu Kehinde
Nigerian local airline, Air Peace, has denied alleged abandonment of passengers in London as it faulted claims by actress and movie producer, Funke Akindele.
NPO Reported that Akindele had yesterday called out the airline for abandoning passengers at Gatwick Airport in London.
The actress alleged that the airline left the Nigeria-bound passengers stranded at Gatwick Airport since 6:30am with no proper communication.
According to her, the airline only spoke to them after several hours of waiting, citing a bird strike incident as the cause of the delay while promising to lodge all the passengers in a hotel.
However, the promise, according to her, was not fulfilled as the passengers largely comprising of elderly men and women were still left stranded and hungry hours after the promise.
Reacting in a statement issued on Saturday, Air Peace faulted Akindele’s claims, stressing that it does not accurately reflect the full circumstances surrounding the disruption.
The airline clarified the incident, affirming that the scheduled aircraft for the flight had suffered a bird strike accident which prompted cancellation of it service.
“The affected flight experienced a bird strike, which is a recognised “force majeure” event in aviation, necessitating the immediate grounding of the aircraft for comprehensive safety inspections in line with global aviation standards.
“At Air Peace, safety is not negotiable, and under no circumstance would we operate an aircraft without the required safety clearance.” It stated.
Air Peace further explained that the passengers were promptly informed about the incident while arrangements were made for their comfort, including hotel accommodation at the Hilton Hotel.
The airline however attributed the delay in the return of the passengers’ luggage to operational constraints from the ground handling services which it claimed not to be under the immediate control of the airline.
“Following this development, affected passengers were promptly informed of the incident and the cancellation of the service, and arrangements were made for their comfort, including hotel accommodation at the Hilton Hotel in London, Gatwick as well as necessary transit coordination.
“However, we encountered additional operational constraints, including airport congestion and delays from ground handling services responsible for baggage retrieval.
“These factors affected the timely retrieval of passengers’ checked baggage, which in turn impacted the speed at which some passengers were transferred to their hotels.
“It is important to note that baggage handling at international airports is managed by designated ground handling companies, operating within strict airport procedures and regulatory protocols.
“As such, Air Peace does not exercise direct control over these processes, and all baggage retrieval must follow established due process.” The statement read further.
The airline reiterated that the passengers were never abandoned as it confirmed that they were offered hotel accommodation.
Air Peace further noted that the aviation operations are not what it descried as plug and play, stressing that the sector involved multiple stakeholders particularly in situations involving force majeure events such as bird strikes.
“At no point were passengers abandoned. Communication was maintained with all affected passengers, and every effort was made to ensure their welfare throughout the disruption.
“We can confirm that all passengers were offered hotel accommodation at the Hilton London Gatwick, and those who elected to accept have now been accommodated, while we finalise arrangements for the deployment of another aircraft to complete the service.
“We recognise that aviation disruptions can be distressing, and we remain empathetic to the inconvenience experienced by our esteemed passengers.
“However, it is important to emphasise that aviation operations are not “plug and play.”
“They involve multiple stakeholders, layered safety protocols, and strict regulatory compliance, particularly in situations involving force majeure events such as bird strikes.” It said.
While affirming its respect to passengers’ concern and commitment to safety, Air Peace faulted the criticism of its service over the development, labelling it as shocking and unwarranted.
“While we respect the right of passengers to express their concerns, we find the ongoing negative hounding of our airline over a safety-driven, force majeure incident to be shocking and unwarranted, especially in light of the timely announcements and necessary updates made by the Captain of the flight to all affected passengers, as well as the responsible and proactive steps taken to ensure passenger safety, communication, and overall care throughout the disruption.
“Air Peace remains steadfast in its commitment to the safety, comfort, and overall well-being of our passengers, and we will continue to review our processes to further enhance our service delivery during unforeseen disruptions.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of our passengers and the flying public.” The airline stated.