A Lagos-Enugu flight operated by Air Peace was disrupted on Monday, leaving passengers stranded for hours. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) directed the airline to develop a compensation package for affected passengers after complaints were filed. Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, claimed the disruption caused him to miss a court appearance in Enugu. He said he arrived at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1 in Lagos at 5:50 a.m. for the 6:45 a.m. flight, but passengers were not properly informed about the rescheduling.
According to Effiong, passengers waited for about an hour before airline officials informed them that the flight had been rescheduled to 4:50 p.m. Air Peace sent a reminder at 2:01 a.m. asking passengers to come for the flight despite knowing it would not operate at the scheduled time. Effiong expressed frustration, accusing the airline of repeatedly subjecting passengers to delays and poor communication. Air Peace responded, apologizing for the disruption and asking Effiong to send a direct message so the airline could address his complaint.
The NCAA investigated the incident and found that Air Peace failed to properly notify passengers about the rescheduling. The disruption resulted from the "ripple effect" of disruptions from the previous night. The airline claimed to have taken affected passengers to a hotel for care until boarding time, although the NCAA said it was still verifying the claim. The regulator directed Air Peace to prepare a compensation package for the affected passengers in accordance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
The NCAA's Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, said sending the wrong notification could not be treated as a force majeure event. He stressed that timely and honest information is key, and there was a gap in this regard. Achimugu explained that sanctions are not automatically imposed every time a flight is disrupted, but if the duty of care is not done, then there will be heavy sanctions imposed.
The incident is coming after the NCAA's August flight disruption report, which recorded 7,961 domestic flights, with 4,765 delayed and 36 cancelled. Air Peace recorded the highest number of delayed flights, with 1,330 delays out of 1,864 flights, representing about 71 per cent. The NCAA figures showed that 666 of the airline's recorded delays lasted between 16 minutes and one hour, while 400 lasted between one and two hours.
Effiong later said the situation had worsened, claiming that the rescheduled flight had not commenced boarding as of that time. He noted that some stranded passengers had been taken to a makeshift hotel but complained that the facility lacked water and the food served was unsatisfactory. Effiong demanded a refund and compensation from Air Peace, saying he no longer needed to travel to Enugu because his court appearance had been overtaken by events.
The NCAA has previously urged Air Peace to improve its domestic operations following complaints over chronic flight delays and cancellations. Air Peace has yet to respond to inquiries about the incident and the August disruption figures. The airline's spokesperson, Efe Osifo-Whiskey, did not respond to calls or messages as of the time of filing this report.
Key points
- The NCAA directed Air Peace to prepare a compensation package for affected passengers.
- Air Peace recorded the highest number of delayed flights in August, with 1,330 delays out of 1,864 flights.
- The incident has raised concerns over the reliability of domestic flight schedules and how airlines manage passengers when disruptions occur.
