Air Peace has announced the suspension of all flights to the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu State, citing worsening infrastructure and mounting safety concerns.
In a statement released on Saturday morning, the airline pointed to persistent issues with the airport’s runway, which it says have increasingly disrupted operations and created unacceptable risks.
According to Air Peace, the situation has reached a point where continuing flights to the airport is no longer viable.
“The situation at the Enugu airport runway can no longer be managed,” the airline stated, calling for urgent intervention from the appropriate authorities.
“At Air Peace, we prioritise safety first over convenience.”
The airline believes grounding flights into the airport temporarily will give room for authorities to address the underlying problems.
“We believe that if flights are not operated into this aerodrome for the next few days, it will allow the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria the opportunity to perform the necessary repairs on the runway,” the statement read.
As a stopgap, Air Peace announced it will now reroute flights originally scheduled for Enugu to Asaba, Delta State.
“Please be informed that all flights scheduled into and out of Enugu will now be operated into and out of Asaba,” the airline added.
“We regret any inconvenience this change may have caused,” it said.
Concerns over Nigeria’s airport infrastructure have been a recurring issue among stakeholders.
Industry players have frequently warned that deteriorating facilities, especially aging runways, pose serious operational risks.
Many incidents of runway incursions reported in 2024 were believed to have been linked to these defects.
Speaking with TVC in January, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, acknowledged the challenge, saying, “the runways have outlived their lifespan.”
She revealed that the authority’s 2025 budget includes plans to rehabilitate 17 runways and upgrade associated infrastructure, such as perimeter fencing and access roads.
According to Kuku, FAAN requires N580 billion to carry out necessary repairs across Nigerian airports.
