Air Peace must compensate passengers after Lagos-Enugu flight issues

A Lagos-Enugu flight by Air Peace had problems on Monday, leaving passengers waiting for hours.

This led the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to tell the airline to create a compensation plan for those affected.

The NCAA stepped in after complaints from human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong. He said the delay made him miss a court case in Enugu.

Mr Effiong arrived at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1 in Lagos around 5:50 a.m. for the 6:45 a.m. Air Peace flight. He had checked in the night before.

Passengers waited for almost an hour before airline staff told them the flight was moved to 4:50 p.m.

Mr Effiong stated that at 2:01 a.m., Air Peace sent a message asking passengers to come for the flight, even though they knew it would not leave on time.

He shared his frustration on X, accusing the airline of causing delays and poor communication.

Air Peace replied to Mr Effiong's post, apologizing for the disruption and asking him to send a direct message to resolve his complaint.

Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, responded to Mr Effiong’s complaint on X. He said the authority looked into the matter and found that Air Peace did not properly inform passengers about the new flight time.

Mr Achimugu explained that the delay happened due to a “ripple effect” from issues the night before.

He said the airline should have informed passengers about the rescheduled flight. He noted, “On the contrary, you said that the notification you received was to come early for the flight.”

He added that the station and duty managers confirmed the message sent to passengers was a mistake.

“They admit that passengers on your flight should have been notified about the reschedule,” he said.

Mr Achimugu mentioned that Air Peace said it took care of affected passengers by sending them to a hotel until it was time to board. The NCAA is still checking this claim.

He said the regulator ordered the airline to prepare a compensation package for the affected passengers according to Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.

He emphasized that sending the wrong notification is not a force majeure event.

“Timely and honest information is key, and there was a gap in this regard,” he stated.

Mr Achimugu explained that sanctions are not automatic each time a flight is delayed. He said if an airline provides the required compensation and care, there may not be penalties. But if they fail to do so, heavy sanctions will be imposed.

Nigeria’s aviation rules outline passenger rights and what airlines must do when flights are delayed or cancelled. These rules include assistance, compensation, and rerouting in certain situations.

Mr Effiong later said the situation got worse. He claimed that the rescheduled flight, which was supposed to leave Lagos for Enugu at 2:40 p.m., had not started boarding.

He also mentioned that some stranded passengers were taken to a makeshift hotel, but the hotel lacked water and the food was not good.

Mr Effiong said he no longer needed to go to Enugu since his court case was no longer relevant. He asked for a refund and compensation from Air Peace.

“I do not want this issue to be about me as an individual. They have to overhaul their customer service system,” he said.

This incident comes after the NCAA’s report in August about flight disruptions.

PREMIUM TIMES noted that the NCAA recorded 7,961 domestic flights in August. Out of these, 4,765 were delayed and 36 were cancelled. Air Peace had the highest number of delays, with 1,330 delays from 1,864 flights. This is about 71 percent.

The NCAA data showed that 666 of Air Peace’s delays lasted between 16 minutes and one hour. Four hundred lasted between one and two hours. Another 156 lasted between two and three hours, while 108 lasted at least three hours. The airline also had seven cancellations.

These numbers raised concerns about how reliable domestic flight schedules are and how airlines handle passengers during disruptions.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Air Peace disagreed with the NCAA’s figures for August.

The airline stated it operated 2,564 flights in August, more than the 1,864 noted by the regulator. They claimed this difference affected how their delay rate was calculated.

Air Peace mentioned that 391 of its delayed flights were due to reasons within its control. They said other disruptions were caused by factors like airport congestion, industrial action, bird strikes, infrastructure problems, bad weather, and damage to an aircraft by a ground-handling company.

The NCAA stated that disruptions can happen due to safety issues and other circumstances. But airlines must quickly communicate with passengers and provide the necessary care as required by regulations.

PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that the NCAA told Air Peace to improve its domestic operations in May 2025 due to complaints about ongoing flight delays and cancellations.

In another case in May 2026, passengers, including journalists, reported being stranded for hours at Abuja airport due to delays involving Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines. They also complained about poor communication and care for passengers.

PREMIUM TIMES reached out to Air Peace spokesperson Efe Osifo-Whiskey for comments on Monday’s incident and the August disruption figures.

The newspaper asked why passengers were not told about the rescheduling of the Lagos-Enugu flight. They also wanted to know what caused the ripple effect from the previous night’s disruptions and what compensation and care would be given to affected passengers.

They asked the airline to explain the high number of delays and cancellations recorded in August and what steps were being taken to fix ongoing delays, cancellations, and communication issues.

As of the time of filing this report, Mr Osifo-Whiskey had not responded to calls or messages.