NCAA urges Air Peace to improve flight operations

The Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Chris Najomo, has directed Air Peace to enhance its flight operations within the country.

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This directive comes in response to an increase in passenger complaints regarding unprofessional practices and the overall ineffectiveness of the airline’s operations recently.

In a statement issued Friday by the NCAA on X (formerly Twitter ), Mr Najomo advised the airline to trim its operations to the size of available aircraft presently in its fleet to mitigate the crisis.

“The DGCA, Capt. Chris Najomo has directed Air Peace to immediately improve its domestic operations owing to complaints of chronic flight delays and cancellations by the travelling public,” the statement said.

Disappointed passengers

Recently, numerous passengers expressed concerns regarding the frequent disruptions, cancellations, and chronic delays associated with the flight schedules of Air Peace.

Many Nigerians called on relevant authorities to investigate the operations of Air Peace, in light of the disappointments and frustration experienced by travellers at airports.

Last month, an Air Peace passenger named Mike Adeyemi recounted his experience of being stranded at the Lagos Airport with his family due to a series of flight cancellations and rescheduling.

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“I booked a flight from Lagos to Kano for 2:00 P.M. for the 10th of April 2025. Airpeace moved the flight to 6pm, then a day later to 10 p.m on the day of the flight moved it again till 11:30 P.M. and as I am typing this message 12:25 a.m. on the 11th of April we are still stranded at the airport. I have my mother in law, sister in law who flew in a day before from the UK for a wedding helplessly at the airport,” the passenger wrote in a message to PREMIUM TIMES.

He went further to state that: “No society should allow its businesses (Airpeace) to treat people like commodities. I feel so ashamed and helpless right now, I also feel so horrible knowing this email may not mean much to me but I am sending nonetheless.”

“I believe collectively we can do better as a society and hold business leaders to a better standard. The funny thing is here at the airport I can see people of other nationalities wondering, this is wrong and painful to see,” Mr Adeyemi noted.

He explained that they did not depart the Lagos airport until 2:00 a.m on the 11 April, for a flight that was originally booked for 2:00 p.m 10 April.

“It greatly affected us psychologically and emotionally as we have an aged woman who is almost 70 years old with us,” he narrated, stating that he believed Air Peace’s action was a deliberate attempt to short change passengers for economic advantage because it is now a regular occurrence.

“It was a nightmare really, I hope the government, civil aviation authorities take adequate steps to resolve it all,” Mr Adeyemi told PREMIUM TIMES.

This week, several Air Peace’s passengers took to social media to vent their frustration over Air Peace’s inefficiency with flight schedules.

On 30 April, an X user, @egi_nupe__, said “Air Peace @flyairpeace did the most terrible thing ever experienced in the hands of an airline. We thought it was bad enough to delay the flight for over 6 hours, they kept us at the airport for extended periods before they could find passengers an emergency accommodation after they finally canceled the flight.”

He said “We were kept up till about 2am with no logical explanation for the extended delay and eventual cancellation of the flight.”

“This airline jeopardised our welfare and safety for the flimsiest of reasons. This level of incompetence and horrible customer service experience has to be the worst in my life.

@mikeachimugu01 and his team need to urgently look into this,” part of his tweet read.

In response to these concerns, Air Peace said: “Dear Customer, We truly apologize for all inconveniences experienced on your recent flight with us.”

“We also sincerely regret any inconvenience caused by the disruption. We prioritize safety and operational efficiency, and while we strive for on-time departures, certain factors beyond our control can sometimes cause delays,” the Airline wrote.

Air Peace said the customers’ experience is important to them, and that they are continuously improving to serve their customers better. “Please bear with us🙏🏼” the Airline noted.

Despite this, many angry customers called on regulatory authorities on the X platform, urging the NCAA to take punitive action against Air Peace over continuous abuse and violation of consumer protection laws.

On Friday, the NCAA statement said Mr Najumo gave the directive to Air Peace during a meeting with some management staff of the airline in Abuja.

It said the airline representatives at the meeting acknowledged that it has some challenges that are not unusual in the industry, but the airline is working round the clock to fix them.

But in response, the statement said Mr Najumo asserted that while the NCAA will continue to support the airlines, airline operators must comply with the regulations and global best practices.

In December last year, Air Peace was among the five airlines sanctioned by the NCAA over regulatory violations in the country.