Regulator Finds Airline Sent Passengers Incorrect Flight Notification
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed Air Peace to compensate passengers affected by a delayed Lagos-Enugu flight on Monday.
The directive followed a preliminary investigation by the aviation regulator, which found that passengers were sent an incorrect notification regarding the flight.
The development followed a complaint by human rights lawyer and activist Inibehe Effiong, who accused the airline of irresponsibility after his Lagos-Enugu flight was delayed until 4:50pm.
Effiong said he arrived at Terminal One of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, at about 5:50am for the scheduled 6:45am flight, having checked in the previous night.
He said the delay would cause him to miss a court appearance in Enugu State and demanded an apology and refund from the airline.
According to Effiong, passengers were initially kept waiting before being informed that the flight had been delayed. He also questioned why passengers scheduled for Enugu and Owerri were treated differently from those whose flights were scheduled for Monday.
Responding to the complaint, NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, said the regulator would investigate the disruption, rejecting claims that the authority was incapable of holding airlines accountable.
Following the investigation, Achimugu said the disruption resulted from the ripple effects of disruptions recorded on Sunday night.
He said an airline management official initially claimed passengers had been informed, but Effiong provided the NCAA with a screenshot of the notification he received.
Achimugu later confirmed that the airline’s Station Manager and Duty Manager had established that the message sent to passengers was incorrect and had been issued in error.
The latest incident comes amid concerns over flight disruptions. The NCAA’s August 2026 report recorded 7,961 domestic flights, with 4,765 delays and 36 cancellations involving 15 airlines.
Air Peace was recorded in the report as having 1,330 delayed flights out of 1,864, representing 71.4 per cent. The airline disputed the figures, saying it actually operated 2,564 flights during the month.
Air Peace also said its internal review showed that 391 delays, or about 15 per cent, were attributable to factors within its control, while other disruptions were linked to airport congestion, industrial action, weather conditions and bird strikes.