By Olumide Johnson
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed Air Peace to prepare compensation for passengers affected by a delayed Lagos-Enugu flight after a passenger complaint exposed a breakdown in disruption notification.
DEVELOPMENT:
The complaint came from Inibehe Effiong, a human rights lawyer, who said that the delay caused him to miss a scheduled court appearance in Enugu.
Effiong also said that he arrived at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed Airport at about 5:50am for a 6:45am Air Peace flight, having checked in the previous night. Passengers were subsequently told the flight had been delayed until 4:50pm.
“My client’s fate is now uncertain because of the irresponsibility of Air Peace,” Effiong said.
“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.”
DATA:
NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr. Michael Achimugu, said that a preliminary investigation traced the disruption to ripple effects from disruptions the previous night.
However, he said that Air Peace should have notified passengers of the rescheduling.
“A senior management staff claimed that passengers were informed. On the contrary, you said that the notification you received was to come early for the flight. You sent me a screenshot of that notification,” Achimugu said.
“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.
“They admit that passengers on your flight should have been notified about the reschedule.”
SIGNIFICANCE:
The episode places passenger communication and duty of care at the centre of airline consumer protection. Air Peace reportedly said affected passengers had been taken to a hotel, although the NCAA said that it was still verifying the claim.
For passengers, the issue extends beyond the delay itself to whether timely and accurate information is provided when schedules change.
NEXT MOVE:
The NCAA has asked Air Peace to submit a compensation package under Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
“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.”
Achimugu said that sanctions could follow if the airline fails to provide the required compensation and duty of care.
“If the duty is not done, then there will be heavy sanctions imposed for this incident,” he added.
OUR LENS:
The deeper issue is the credibility of airline disruption management. Effiong challenged Air Peace’s claim that passengers had been notified.
“We asked them at the airport why they didn’t send messages to notify us, they had no answer,” he said.
“It is so insensitive for her to give you misleading information.”
The case also comes against a wider regulatory backdrop. On September 10, Director-General of the NCAA, Mr. Chris Najomo, warned airlines over flight delays, crew shortages and other consumer-related infractions, urging operators to align schedules with available aircraft and crew.
For the aviation market, the immediate test is whether compensation and clearer communication become routine components of disruption management rather than remedies applied only after complaints reach the regulator.
Olumide Johnson is a journalist, reporting on energy, maritime, business, and developments shaping Nigeria’s economy.
Discover more from StakeBridge Media
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.