The management of Osubi Airport in Warri, Delta State, has disputed Air Peace’s claim that one of its aircraft suffered a bird strike while landing at the facility, insisting that the incident did not occur at the airport.
The airport’s response followed a statement issued by Air Peace on June 5, in which the airline said its Lagos-Osubi flight experienced a bird strike upon landing at the airport.
Air Peace had stated that the aircraft was immediately subjected to safety and technical assessments, with preliminary inspections indicating the need for further checks on the landing gear. The airline added that the incident led to the cancellation of its scheduled return flight from Osubi to Lagos.
However, the Manager of Osubi Airstrip, Winston Egwuatu, rejected the claim, saying preliminary investigations by the airport showed that the alleged strike did not happen within the Osubi aerodrome.
Egwuatu said the airport had recently recorded almost two years without any bird strike incident, describing the development as a major milestone in airport operations.
“In any case, and for your information, Osubi Airport just recently celebrated almost two years of zero bird strikes in the airport. It is a major milestone in airport operations nationwide,” he said.
“On this alleged report, I like to strongly refute and to say that preliminary investigation by the airport has revealed the said strike did not happen at Osubi Airport. We believe that the operating aircraft picked the bird from the departing airport.”
According to him, Air Peace aircraft 5N-CEF, an Embraer E-195, reported evidence of a bird strike only during post-landing inspection.
Egwuatu said the pilot reportedly informed airport officials that he heard a sound about 200 metres while approaching Osubi Airport, although the Incident/Bird Strike Information System report allegedly placed the occurrence at about 50 feet above the runway threshold.
He said the pilot did not report any sound on approach to Air Traffic Control and did not report any bird strike to ATC at the time.
“The pilot never reported hearing sounds on approach to Air Traffic Control, neither has he reported any bird strike to ATC until now,” Egwuatu said.
The airstrip manager added that wildlife hazard control officers carried out inspections before and after the aircraft’s arrival but found no evidence of bird activity around the runway.
“It is possible that the pilot picked the bird 200 metres, as he told us before the station manager and head of operations, or elsewhere, but not within Osubi Aerodrome,” he said.
Egwuatu also dismissed reports that Air Peace had suspended operations to the airport, saying the management had received no such notification from the airline.
He added that the aircraft involved in the incident later departed safely at about 2:50 p.m.
