They came home with relief in their eyes and Nigeria on their lips.
At 10:35 a.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, an Air Peace Boeing 777-200 glided onto the tarmac at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, carrying 271 Nigerians who had been stranded in South Africa as xenophobic tensions rose. For them, it was not just another flight. It was freedom, it was safety, it was family waiting on the other side of the arrival gate.
This was Air Peace’s second humanitarian evacuation from South Africa in under a month. On June 11, the airline brought 262 citizens home. With Tuesday’s landing, the total now stands at 533 Nigerians airlifted to safety, each name representing a life pulled back from fear.
The mission was coordinated by the Federal Government, a swift response to protect Nigerians abroad. The aircraft docked at the Cargo and Hajj Terminal for processing, but for the relatives who had been praying and waiting, it felt like answered prayer touching down.
Air Peace Spokesperson, Mr. Efe Osifo-Whiskey, said the operation reflects what is possible when government and the private sector move together. He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for placing the welfare of Nigerians abroad first, and praised the airline’s Chairman, Dr. Allen Onyema, for what he called “enduring patriotism and humanitarian convictions” that keep Air Peace ready whenever the nation calls.
And the calls have been many. Since it began flying, Air Peace has carried out more than 16 humanitarian and evacuation missions across Africa and beyond. From conflict zones to crisis repatriations, the airline has consistently put its fleet to work for people, not just profit. That record, the airline says, is rooted in its Chairman, Dr. Allen Onyema’s vision of aviation that serves humanity, national duty, and African solidarity.
So on Tuesday, 271 people left a place that had grown hostile and landed in a place that calls them home. No jets, no speeches, no fanfare was what they needed. Just wings, a flag, and a promise that Nigeria does not abandon its own.
Air Peace says it will remain ready to answer whenever duty calls. On June 30, duty called again. And 271 Nigerians came home.
