Air Peace has clarified that a fire alert triggered on one of its wet-leased aircraft after landing at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, was a false alarm, with all passengers safely evacuated and no injuries recorded.
The airline said the aircraft had completed its scheduled service and was parked at the Lagos airport when the captain received a fire warning in the cockpit as passengers were preparing to disembark.
The alert prompted the flight crew to activate the appropriate precautionary safety procedures, after which passengers were evacuated from the aircraft.
According to Air Peace, no actual fire was confirmed following the alert. Its Maintenance and Engineering team subsequently commenced a comprehensive assessment to establish what triggered the warning and determine whether any technical issue was involved.
“Air Peace wishes to notify our valued customers and the flying public of a false fire alarm on one of our wet-leased aircraft after it had safely landed and parked at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos,” the airline said.
The carrier commended the flight crew and ground personnel for their response, as well as airport emergency services for their prompt intervention. It also thanked passengers for their cooperation during the evacuation.
A wet lease involves the provision of an aircraft together with its crew, maintenance and insurance, with the aircraft operated under the terms of the leasing arrangement.
The latest incident comes against the backdrop of several operational events involving Air Peace aircraft over the past year. However, the circumstances have varied and have included a runway excursion, ground-handling damage, a suspected bird strike and weather-related operational disruption.
In July 2025, an Air Peace Boeing 737-500 operating a Lagos-Port Harcourt service veered off the runway after landing at Port Harcourt International Airport. All 103 people on board were safely evacuated.
In December 2025, a Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) conveyor belt vehicle collided with the engine of an Air Peace Embraer 195-E2 at Lagos airport, resulting in damage to the aircraft.
In March 2026, an Air Peace Boeing 777 operating from Abuja to London Heathrow returned to Abuja after the crew detected a cracked windshield suspected to have been caused by a bird strike.
More recently, on August 27, an Air Peace flight from Lagos to Asaba returned to Lagos because of poor visibility around the runway at Asaba Airport.
While the incidents have occurred under different operational circumstances, Air Peace has continued to expand its scheduled network and capacity.
According to aviation data provider OAG, the airline recorded the largest increase in scheduled airline seats among African carriers in July 2026, with capacity rising by about 50.6 per cent year-on-year.
The airline added approximately 121,000 scheduled seats compared with July 2025, bringing its total scheduled capacity to about 360,000 seats and placing it among Africa’s 10 largest airlines by scheduled capacity for the month.
Air Peace said its Maintenance and Engineering team would continue its assessment of the fire alert and establish the cause of the warning.
