Air Peace Summoned by NCAA Over Flight Disruptions

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has summoned Air Peace, the country’s largest airline, to an emergency meeting following a series of “unexplained disruptions” to its operations, including an incident where passengers were allegedly left stranded after a flight diversion on its London route.

In a statement released on Saturday via his X account, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, confirmed that the airline has been directed to appear at the authority’s headquarters on Monday. The meeting is intended to address the operational hitches, with a specific focus on complaints from passengers travelling on the airline’s Heathrow-Abuja service.

Achimugu stated that the most recent complaint involved passengers who boarded a flight from London expecting to land in Abuja but were instead diverted and rerouted through multiple airports. According to the statement, passengers on the Heathrow-Abuja flight were rerouted via Gatwick and Lagos before being left stranded in the Nigerian capital.

The statement highlighted that beyond the flight diversion, the aviation authority has also received reports concerning delayed refunds and unresolved compensation issues. Achimugu emphasized that the regulator would not tolerate situations where passengers are abandoned or left without adequate support.

“We will not tolerate any abandonment of paying passengers. While the Authority continues to support domestic carriers, we hold all operators to the strictest standards,” Achimugu warned.

The NCAA confirmed that a formal investigation would be launched into the reported disruptions. “An investigation into these disruptions will be conducted and appropriate action taken as usual,” the statement added.

When contacted for comment, the airline’s spokesperson, Efe Osifo-Whiskey, promised to provide a reaction but had not done so at the time of this report.