Air Peace has said a fire alarm triggered on one of its wet-leased aircraft after it landed at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, was false, adding that all passengers were safely evacuated and no injuries were recorded.
The airline disclosed this in a statement issued by its management on Sunday, explaining that the aircraft had completed its scheduled service and was parked at the Lagos airport when the captain received a fire alert in the cockpit.
According to Air Peace, the alert came in as passengers were preparing to leave the aircraft, prompting the flight crew to activate standard precautionary safety procedures.
No actual fire was confirmed following the alert, while the airline’s Maintenance and Engineering team began a comprehensive assessment to determine the cause of the warning.
“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, adding that all passengers were safely evacuated and no injuries were recorded.
Air Peace commended the flight crew, ground personnel and airport emergency services for their prompt response and thanked passengers for their cooperation during the evacuation, while confirming that investigation into the trigger of the alert would continue.
A wet lease is an arrangement in which an airline leases an aircraft together with its crew, maintenance and insurance, with the leased aircraft then operating flights on the leasing airline’s behalf.
Incident Adds to a String of Operational Events for Air Peace
The latest incident comes amid a series of operational and safety-related events involving Air Peace aircraft over the past year, though the circumstances have varied widely.
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, with no fatalities reported.
In December 2025, a luggage conveyor belt vehicle operated by the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company collided with the engine of an Air Peace Embraer 195-E2 at the Lagos airport, damaging the aircraft.
Also in March 2026, an Air Peace Boeing 777 flying from Abuja to London Heathrow returned to Abuja after the crew detected a cracked windshield, suspected to have resulted from a bird strike.
Most recently, on August 27, an Air Peace Lagos-Asaba flight returned to Lagos due to poor visibility around the runway at Asaba Airport.
Despite Incidents, Air Peace Continues Rapid Network Expansion
Despite these operational disruptions, Air Peace has continued to expand its scheduled operations across Africa.
According to an African aviation market report by aviation data provider OAG, Air Peace recorded the largest increase in scheduled airline seats among African carriers in July 2026, adding about 121,000 scheduled seats compared with July 2025, a 50.6% year-on-year increase.
Air Peace ranked 10th among Africa’s largest airlines by scheduled capacity in July, with about 360,000 seats, though Kenya Airways displaced the Nigerian carrier from that position in August, underlining how competitive the region’s aviation market remains even as individual airlines expand their networks.
