Passengers were evacuated without injury after a fire alert on an Air Peace wet-leased aircraft proved false at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. The airline said the alarm sounded after the flight had completed its scheduled service and the plane was parked, prompting the captain to activate precautionary safety procedures as passengers were preparing to disembark.
Air Peace issued the account in a statement on Sunday, saying no actual fire was confirmed and that its Maintenance and Engineering team has begun a comprehensive assessment to identify what triggered the cockpit alert. The carrier described the response as precautionary and credited its flight crew, ground personnel and airport emergency services for executing the evacuation, and thanked passengers for their cooperation. There were no injuries reported.
The aircraft involved operated under a wet-lease arrangement, where the leased aircraft is supplied together with crew, maintenance and insurance. The airline emphasised that the alert occurred after landing and parking at the Lagos airport, and said investigators would determine whether the issue was technical, procedural or related to equipment provided under the wet-lease.
The incident adds to a string of operational events involving Air Peace over the past year, including runway events, bird strikes, technical faults and ground-handling disruptions, as well as weather-related operational interruptions. Despite those disruptions, the carrier continued to grow its network; it ranked 10th among Africa’s largest airlines by scheduled capacity in July with about 360,000 seats, before Kenya Airways displaced it from that position in August.
The immediate outcome is a confirmed false alarm and an ongoing technical review. The airline's maintenance team will complete the investigation before any operational changes are announced.
