The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed Air Peace to propose a compensation package for passengers affected by a delayed Lagos-Enugu flight after a preliminary investigation found that the airline mistakenly sent passengers an incorrect notification.
The development followed a complaint by human rights activist and lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, who accused Air Peace of poor handling of the disruption after his scheduled morning flight was postponed until the evening.
Effiong, who was travelling to Enugu for a court appearance, said the delay would prevent him from attending a case scheduled for definite hearing.
According to him, he arrived at Terminal One of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, at about 5:50am for the scheduled 6:45am flight after completing his check-in the previous night.
“I am scheduled to appear in court in Enugu State this morning for a case that is slated for definite hearing,” he said.
Effiong said he became concerned after passengers who were originally scheduled to travel to Enugu and Owerri on Sunday were called by the airline, while Monday passengers were initially asked to wait.
“Apparently, they cancelled yesterday’s flight to Enugu,” he said.
He said passengers were subsequently informed that their flight had been pushed back to 4:50pm, leaving him and others facing significant disruptions to their plans.
Effiong also alleged that Air Peace sent passengers a reminder at 2:01am asking them to prepare for the flight, despite the airline allegedly knowing that it would not operate at the scheduled time.
“I lost sound sleep, wasted my resources on flights and taxis (by the way, I already booked my return flight with United Nigeria slated for 3:20 PM today), and I am going to miss a sensitive court appearance,” he said.
The lawyer criticised the airline’s handling of passengers and also questioned the effectiveness of aviation regulators, alleging that Air Peace had been allowed to operate without sufficient accountability.
“The regulators of the aviation industry are complicit in the impunity of Air Peace. The Minister of Aviation, @fkeyamo, has been doing PR for this airline instead of holding them accountable. @NigeriaCAA and @FAAN_Official have demonstrated that they’re incapable of tackling the arrogance of this airline,” he said.
Effiong further cited NCAA figures showing that Air Peace recorded 1,330 delays out of 1,864 flights in August 2026, representing 71.4 per cent, and claimed that no sanctions had been imposed.
Responding to his complaint on X, NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, rejected the suggestion that the regulator was incapable of addressing airline disruptions.
“The NCAA cannot treat cases in advance. It is not a miracle centre and cannot tell that a disruption would happen BEFORE it happens. When it does happen, you report to the NCAA,” Achimugu said.
He expressed sympathy over the disruption and acknowledged that the situation was not consistent with the standards the aviation industry should uphold.
“This is not how we want the industry to be,” he said.
Achimugu initially indicated that the disruption appeared to have resulted from the effects of the previous day’s operational problems. He said the NCAA had recently urged Air Peace to maintain a buffer aircraft to help reduce the impact of major disruptions.
Following a preliminary investigation, Achimugu said the airline should have properly informed passengers scheduled for the affected flight that it had been rescheduled.
According to him, an Air Peace senior management official initially claimed that passengers had been notified. However, Effiong disputed this and provided the NCAA with a screenshot of the message he received, which instructed passengers to report early for the flight.
“The Station Manager and Duty Manager have confirmed that the messages sent out was the one you received, and that it was done in error,” Achimugu said.
He added that the airline’s officials acknowledged that passengers should have been informed about the rescheduling.
The NCAA spokesman also said Air Peace claimed to have provided the affected passengers with hotel accommodation and care pending their eventual departure, although the authority was still verifying the claim.
The regulator subsequently directed the airline, pursuant to Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023, to develop a compensation package for the affected passengers and submit the details to the authority.
“Timely and honest information is key, and there was a gap in this regard,” Achimugu said. “Sending the wrong notification was not a force majeure incident.”
Achimugu explained that Air Peace would not automatically face sanctions if it fulfilled its obligations by providing appropriate compensation and duty of care to the affected passengers. However, he warned that heavier sanctions could be imposed if the airline failed to comply.
He also clarified that sanctions were not automatically imposed following every flight disruption, noting that the relevant regulations determine when and how penalties are applied.
“You should not have been told to come to the airport for a flight that was not going to operate,” he said.
The NCAA’s August 2026 domestic airline disruption report recorded 7,961 flights operated by 15 carriers during the month, with 4,765 delays and 36 cancellations. Air Peace was listed as having recorded 1,330 delays from 1,864 flights, representing 71.4 per cent.
Air Peace, however, disputed the figures, saying it actually operated 2,564 flights during the month and that the NCAA’s data excluded more than 700 of its flights. The airline also maintained that internal factors were responsible for only about 15 per cent of its delays.
The latest development places the focus on the airline’s handling of passenger communication, compensation and duty of care following flight disruptions.
