PASSENGERS were thrown into a panic mode on Monday as the windshield of an Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft operated by Air Peace was shattered in Abuja.
As the aircraft landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the windshield reportedly shattered, sparking concerns for passengers and aviation workers who witnessed the development.
Among the passengers onboard was human rights advocate Omoyele Sowore, who was traveling to Abuja.
One of the passengers at the airport who saw the incident, who identified herself simply as Funmi, told our correspondent that it was a scary incident while expressing dissatisfaction with the airline for refusing to explain what exactly happened to the windshield at the spot of the incident.
Attempt to speak with the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Abdullahi Musa, was fruitless as he neither picked up his calls nor responded to text messages sent to him on the matter.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, Bimbo Olajide, noted that the NCAA would be in the best position to respond to the incident.
The NSIB is charged with the duty of promoting transport safety and conducting objective and thorough investigations into transport accidents and incidents in Nigeria, to identify the probable causes.
Olajide said the NSIB is expected to investigate accidents and not incidents of that nature.
“The is classified as an incident and NSIB is expected to investigate accident and serious incident but the development falls in the category of an incident and not serious incident or accident. This falls within the purview of the NCAA.”
When contacted, over the phone, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, promised to speak with his staff and get back to our reporter but never did till press time.
Also asked about what transpired that led to the shattering of the windshield, the Chief Operating Officer of the affected airline, Oluwatoyin Olajide, who angrily responded to our correspondent, claimed that the safety of the flying passengers was not jeopardised.
Olajide who had earlier ignored our correspondent’s call became angry when told that it was gathered that the development caused panic among the flying passengers.
She responded, “What panic for the flying public? Can you verify what you’ve just said? Why are you always very quick to publish negative news about your own?
“Where were you when BA (British Airways) had engine issues and was grounded in Lagos for four days? Why was this not published? This is not a fight but just wondering where you gathered the wrong report from?
“We did not have a shattered screen neither was passenger’s safety jeopardized. What happened is a normal snag and necessary safety measures were implemented. The safety of our equipment and passengers is our top priority.”
Meanwhile, an insider in the airline, who does not want his name in print so as not to violate internal mechanisms, confirmed the development to our correspondent adding that “the aircraft has been temporarily put in service so as not to take any chances. Although, the windshield only cracked and not shattered as claimed.”