Osubi Airport in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State has dismissed claims by Air Peace that one of its aircraft suffered a bird strike while landing at the airport, insisting preliminary investigations indicate the incident did not occur within the airport’s aerodrome.
The controversy arose after Air Peace announced on its Instagram page on June 5 that its Lagos–Osubi flight experienced a bird strike upon landing at Osubi Airport in Warri. The airline stated that the aircraft underwent mandatory safety and technical inspections after touchdown, with preliminary findings revealing the need for additional checks on the landing gear. As a result, the carrier cancelled the scheduled return flight from Osubi to Lagos and provided accommodation and support for affected passengers.
However, Osubi Airport management has strongly disputed the airline’s account, maintaining that available evidence suggests the bird was likely struck before the aircraft arrived at the airport. The airport’s Manager, Winston Egwuatu, said preliminary findings from investigations conducted by airport authorities indicated that the bird strike did not occur within Osubi Airport’s operational area, adding that the facility recently marked nearly two years without recording a bird strike incident — a milestone he described as significant in airport safety operations across the country.
Egwuatu stated that Air Peace Flight 5N-CEF, an Embraer E-195 aircraft, reported evidence of a bird strike during post-landing inspection after the aircraft arrived at Osubi. According to him, the bird was discovered lodged in the aircraft’s landing gear during routine checks carried out by the flight crew.
He explained that discussions with the pilot revealed that a sound was heard approximately 200 metres from the airport while the aircraft was approaching for landing. He noted, however, that information contained in the Incident/Bird Strike Information System (IBIS) report suggested the occurrence happened at about 50 feet above the runway threshold.
The airport manager further stated that the pilot did not report hearing any unusual sound or experiencing a bird strike to Air Traffic Control during the aircraft’s approach and only raised the issue after landing.
According to Egwuatu, wildlife hazard control personnel conducted inspections before and after the aircraft’s arrival but found no bird carcass, feathers or any indication of bird activity around the runway environment.
He said bird-control measures, including the deployment of propane cannons, chemical deterrents and pyrotechnics, had been effectively used to keep birds away from the airfield, adding that no bird activity was observed either before or after the aircraft landed.
Egwuatu maintained that while it was possible the aircraft encountered a bird before reaching Osubi, there was no evidence to support claims that the strike occurred within the airport’s aerodrome.
The airport manager also dismissed reports that Air Peace had suspended operations to Osubi Airport, stating that the airport had not received any formal notification from the airline regarding such a decision.
In a follow-up update issued on Saturday, Egwuatu disclosed that the aircraft involved in the incident had successfully departed the airport at about 2:50 p.m., indicating that operations relating to the aircraft had been concluded safely.
