The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed Air Peace to submit a compensation package for passengers affected by a Lagos-Enugu flight disruption after the airline confirmed that passengers received the wrong notification about the rescheduled service.
The development followed a complaint posted on X on Monday, September 21, 2026, by human rights lawyer and activist Inibehe Effiong, who was booked on Air Peace’s 6:45 a.m. Lagos-Enugu flight.
Effiong said he arrived at Terminal One of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, at about 5:50 a.m. after checking in the previous night. He said he was due to appear in court in Enugu State that morning for a case listed for definite hearing.
According to Effiong, passengers were later informed that the flight had been moved to 4:50 p.m. He also questioned why Air Peace had sent a reminder at about 2:01 a.m. asking passengers to report for the flight despite the rescheduling.
Responding to the complaint on X, Michael Achimugu, NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, initially said the disruption appeared to have resulted from a ripple effect of operational problems experienced by the airline on Sunday night.
Achimugu also said the NCAA had advised Air Peace the previous week to maintain a buffer aircraft to reduce the effect of major disruptions.
Following an inquiry, however, Achimugu said Air Peace’s station and duty managers confirmed that the notification received by Effiong had been sent in error.
“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 passengers on the affected flight should have been informed earlier about the rescheduling.
“You should not have been told to come to the airport for a flight that was not going to operate,” he said, adding that sending the wrong notification was not a force majeure incident.
The NCAA subsequently asked Air Peace, in compliance with Part 19 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023, to prepare a compensation package for the affected passengers and notify the authority.
Part 19 sets out passenger rights and airline obligations covering delays, cancellations, compensation, reimbursement, re-routing and duty of care. The NCAA has also said passengers affected by qualifying domestic flight disruptions may be entitled to compensation and other forms of assistance under the regulations.
Achimugu said Air Peace reported that it had taken affected passengers to a hotel and was providing care while they waited for the evening departure. He added that the NCAA was still verifying whether all affected passengers received the required care.
He said the airline would not be sanctioned if it provided the required compensation and duty of care, but warned that further sanctions would follow if it failed to comply.
The incident comes amid a dispute between the NCAA and Air Peace over the regulator’s August 2026 flight disruption figures. In a summary published by the NCAA on September 13, 2026, the regulator said 15 domestic airlines operated 7,961 flights in August, 2026, with 4,765 delays and 36 cancellations. Air Peace was listed with 1,330 delayed flights out of 1,864 operations, a delay rate of 71.4%.
Air Peace disputed the figures on September 17, 2026, saying it operated 2,564 flights during the month and that more than 700 flights were omitted from the NCAA report. The airline also said its internal review found that 391 delays, representing about 15% of its reported August delays, were caused by factors within its control.
The NCAA has maintained that the figures in its report represent Air Peace’s domestic operations, while Michael Achimugu said on September 21, 2026 that the regulator could sanction airlines only where investigations establish responsibility for delays or cancellations.
For passengers affected by Monday’s Lagos-Enugu disruption, the immediate issue is now the compensation and care package to be submitted by Air Peace to the NCAA.
