The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed Air Peace to arrange a compensation package for passengers affected by a delayed Lagos–Enugu flight on Monday, after a preliminary investigation found that the airline sent travellers the wrong notification.
The action followed a complaint by human rights activist and lawyer Inibehe Effiong, who accused Air Peace of irresponsibility and impunity after his 6:45am Lagos–Enugu flight was pushed back until the evening.
Effiong said in a post on X on Monday that the delay would cause him to miss a scheduled court appearance in Enugu State.
The NCAA, through its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, said the authority would look into the disruption, while rejecting Effiong’s claim that the regulator is incapable of tackling the airline.
Effiong explained that he arrived at Terminal One of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, at about 5:50am for the 6:45am flight, having checked 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.
The lawyer said he became suspicious when the airline called only passengers meant to fly to Enugu and Owerri on Sunday, while those scheduled to depart on Monday were asked to wait.
“Apparently, they cancelled yesterday’s flight to Enugu,” he said.
He said passengers were kept waiting for about an hour before airline staff announced that the flight had been delayed until 4:50pm.
Effiong also claimed that Air Peace sent a second reminder to passengers at 2:01am on Monday, despite knowing the flight would not depart as scheduled.
He said he met two other lawyers booked on the same flight, one of whom also had a hearing in Enugu that morning. He added that the two other airlines flying the route, United Nigeria and Enugu Air, had only afternoon flights.
“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.
Effiong Blasts Air Peace, Regulators
Effiong accused Air Peace of taking passengers “for granted endlessly” on account of its large fleet and its occasional role in repatriating stranded Nigerians.
“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.
Citing NCAA data, he said Air Peace delayed 71 per cent of its flights in August 2026, recording 1,330 delays out of 1,864 flights, and added that “no sanctions were imposed.”
“No country that is serious about economic development will condone such ineptitude,” he said.
Responding to Effiong’s post via X, Achimugu said the authority could not be described as incapable simply because a passenger’s flight was disrupted.
“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 empathy with Effiong, adding, “This is not how we want the industry to be.”
Achimugu said the NCAA would investigate the disruption and that, from Effiong’s account, it appeared to be a “ripple effect from yesterday’s disruption.”
“Just last week, we urged the airline to ensure it has a buffer aircraft to mitigate extreme disruptions, especially given recent events. I will reach out to them and find out what happened,” he said.
Investigation Findings
In a follow-up message to Effiong after the investigation, Achimugu said the flight was disrupted due to the ripple effect of Sunday night’s disruptions.
He said the airline ought to have notified passengers scheduled to fly that morning that the flight had been rescheduled.
Achimugu said a senior management staff of the airline claimed passengers were informed, but Effiong countered that the notification he received asked passengers to come early for the flight. The lawyer sent the NCAA a screenshot of the message.
“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 both officials admitted passengers on the flight should have been told about the reschedule.
The NCAA spokesman said the airline claimed to have taken the affected passengers to a hotel, where they would be provided care until boarding time, but the authority was still trying to confirm this.
According to Achimugu, the NCAA has asked the airline, in compliance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023, to come up with a compensation package for affected passengers and inform the authority in good time.
“We have asked that the airline, in compliance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023, come up with a compensation package for affected passengers and let us know in good time.
“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.”
He said the airline would not be sanctioned if it provided compensation and duty of care to the passengers, but warned that heavy sanctions would follow if it failed to do so.
Achimugu said sanctions were not the automatic response to every disruption because rules guided their application, adding that he would post a video explaining the point.
He expressed empathy with Effiong, saying, “You should not have been told to come to the airport for a flight that was not going to operate.”
The NCAA’s summary of domestic airline disruptions for August 2026 reported that 15 carriers operated 7,961 flights, of which 4,765 were delayed and 36 cancelled, while Air Peace was listed with 1,330 delays out of 1,864 flights, or 71.4 per cent.
Air Peace disputed the figures, saying it operated 2,564 flights in the month and that the NCAA’s data left out more than 700 flights. The airline also said internal factors accounted for only about 15 per cent of its delays.
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