Air Peace Faces Potential Sanctions Over Delayed Refunds, Cancelled Flights

• The FCCPC has summoned Air Peace Limited's management over numerous passenger complaints regarding unrefunded ticket prices after the airline canceled scheduled flights
• The summons, based on violations of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 2018, requires Air Peace to provide detailed documentation of refunds and cancellations
• This follows a heated argument between Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Air Peace executives over alleged extortion of passengers, including claims of airline employees demanding extra fees for rescheduled flights

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has 5-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

Due to numerous passenger complaints about unrefunded ticket prices—even after the airline cancelled scheduled flights—the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has called in Air Peace Limited's management.

In response to the growing public concern and claims of consumer rights abuses, the Commission ordered Air Peace to appear at its Abuja offices on Monday, June 23, 2025, in an official notice dated June 3, 2025.

Ondaje Ijagwu, the Director of Corporate Affairs, made the decision public in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, June 16.

Ijagwu claimed that the airline's actions were in violation of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 2018's Sections 130(1)(a) and (b) and 130(2)(b), which grant customers the right to timely refunds in cases where reservations are not honored due to the service provider's negligence.

He clarified that the Act's Sections 32 and 33 were used to issue the summons, requiring Air Peace to produce specific documentary evidence. This includes a complaint log of refund-related issues over the past 12 months, records of all refunds processed thus far, a list of all flights cancelled on all routes during the same period, and steps taken to alleviate the hardship experienced by impacted passengers.

The statement read:

"The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has summoned the management of Air Peace Limited over a deluge of consumer complaints from across the country relating to the non-refund of ticket fares, even in instances where the airline had canceled its flight operations.

“These actions potentially contravene Sections 130(1)(a) and (b) and 130(2)(b) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, which expressly guarantee consumers the right to timely refunds when bookings, reservations, or orders are unfulfilled due to a service provider’s failure. This provision enshrines the principle of fair dealing and safeguards consumers against unfair, unjust, or unreasonable practices by service providers.

“In a formal summons dated June 13, 2025, the Commission, invoking Sections 32 and 33 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, requires Air Peace to appear before the Commission at its Abuja Headquarters on Monday, June 23, 2025.

“Specifically, Section 33(3) of the FCCPA mandates compliance, and failure to comply attracts severe sanctions, including fines or imprisonment.”

The summons was issued days after Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Air Peace executives got into a heated argument about the alleged extortion of Nigerian passengers; however, this was not mentioned in the statement.

The senator's alleged absence from a flight, which he attributed to airline officials' racketeering, exacerbated the situation.

The senator insisted that he and other angry travellers saw employees boarding passengers who arrived later, despite Air Peace's claim that Oshiomhole arrived at the airport late.

According to Oshiomhole, about 20 to 30 other customers received identical treatment, with airline employees allegedly requesting an extra N109,100 to move them to an 8:30 am departure.

Makes historic long-haul flight to St. Kitts

Legit.ng reported that Nigeria’s largest carrier, Air Peace, has become the first Nigerian airline to fly to Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in Basseterre in St. Kitts and Nevis.

The airline's statement recently disclosed that it deployed a Boeing 777 aircraft to the airport, becoming the first Nigerian airline on the St. Kitts and Nevis arrivals board.

According to the statement, the milestone came amid an arranged Pan-African business conference in the Eastern Caribbean, with delegates from Nigeria.

Source: Legit.ng