72-year-old man dies onboard Air Peace Calabar-Abuja flight

A 72-year-old male passenger on Air Peace Calabar-Abuja Flight P47182 on Friday died on board while the flight was airborne.

A source at the Margret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar disclosed that the deceased had a case of paraplegia due to spinal injury since 2019 and had been on medication.

He was going for check-up in Abuja but became severely sick while on board the flight. Upon arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Port Health officials checked him and confirmed that he had zero pulse, signifying he had passed on.

The deceased who was escorted to the airport by his daughter, according to information made available to journalists, was certified fit to fly by the Port Health at the Calabar airport but could not make the journey alive.

When the flight landed at the Abuja airport, his remains were removed from the aircraft by officials of Port Health for other necessary protocols.

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Stanley Olise, spokesman of Air Peace, confirmed the incident, saying the deceased was certified fit to fly before embarking on the flight.

He also said that in Calabar there was no indication that the deceased was severely sick, as he was certified fit by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigerian (FAAN) to fly.

“The passenger was certified fit to fly by Port Health officials in Calabar before boarding our aircraft, but the passenger developed a medical condition in-flight,” Olise said.

“On arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja, we urgently notified the Port Health officials who confirmed the death and took the remains of the passenger to the hospital for the necessary protocols. Air Peace has thoroughly decontaminated its aircraft and Port Health is on top of the situation,” he said.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.