NCAA Orders Air Peace To Compensate Passengers Over Delayed Lagos-Enugu Flight

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed Air Peace to prepare a compensation package for passengers affected by a delayed Lagos-Enugu flight after a preliminary investigation found that the airline sent them an incorrect notification.

The directive followed a complaint by human rights activist and lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, who accused the airline of irresponsibility after the flight scheduled for Monday morning was postponed until the evening.

Effiong, in a post on X, said he arrived at Terminal One of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, at about 5:50 a.m. for the 6:45 a.m. flight, having checked in the previous night.

He explained that passengers were kept waiting for about an hour before being informed that the flight had been rescheduled to 4:50 p.m., making him likely to miss a scheduled court appearance in Enugu State.

The lawyer also alleged that Air Peace sent passengers a reminder at 2:01 a.m. asking them to come early for the flight, despite knowing that it would not operate as scheduled.

He said the delay caused him financial losses and disrupted his travel plans, adding that other lawyers on the flight also had court engagements in Enugu that morning.

Effiong further criticized aviation regulators, alleging that Air Peace had been allowed to operate without adequate accountability. Citing NCAA figures, he claimed the airline recorded 1,330 delays out of 1,864 flights in August 2026.

Responding, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, said the authority would investigate the matter, rejecting the claim that the regulator was incapable of addressing airline disruptions.

Following the preliminary investigation, Achimugu said the delay resulted from the ripple effect of disruptions on Sunday night. He disclosed that the airline’s station and duty managers had confirmed that the wrong message was sent to passengers in error.

According to him, affected passengers should have been informed of the rescheduling. He added that Air Peace claimed to have provided hotel accommodation and care for the passengers, but the NCAA was still verifying the claim.

Achimugu said the NCAA had directed the airline, in compliance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023, to submit a compensation package for the affected passengers.

He warned that although sanctions would not automatically follow every disruption, heavy penalties could be imposed if the airline failed to provide compensation and the required duty of care.

Meanwhile, Air Peace disputed the NCAA’s August figures, saying it operated 2,564 flights during the month and that more than 700 flights were omitted from the regulator’s data. The airline also said internal factors accounted for only about 15 per cent of its delays.

Efforts to obtain further comment from the airline’s spokesperson, Efe Osifo-Whiskey, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.