NCAA Orders Air Peace to Compensate Passengers Over Lagos-Enugu Flight Delay

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has ordered Air Peace to prepare a compensation package for passengers affected by a delayed Lagos-Enugu flight after finding that the airline sent them the wrong notification.

The directive followed a complaint by human rights lawyer and activist Inibehe Effiong, who said the delay caused him to miss a scheduled court appearance in Enugu State. Effiong had accused the airline of treating passengers with disregard and questioned the ability of aviation regulators to hold it accountable.

Effiong said he arrived at Terminal One of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos around 5:50am for a 6:45am flight after checking in the previous night. He said passengers were later informed that the flight had been pushed back to 4:50pm, leaving him unable to make his court appearance.

The lawyer also alleged that Air Peace sent passengers a reminder at 2:01am asking them to come for the flight despite the disruption. He said the situation caused him to incur additional expenses and that alternative airlines operating the Lagos-Enugu route did not have suitable morning flights.

NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, said the regulator investigated the complaint and found that the affected passengers had indeed received an incorrect message. According to him, Air Peace officials confirmed that the notification sent to passengers was issued in error and that they should instead have been informed that the flight had been rescheduled.

Achimugu said the disruption was linked to the knock-on effect of problems experienced by the airline the previous night. He added that the NCAA had previously advised Air Peace to maintain a buffer aircraft to reduce the impact of major operational disruptions.

The regulator also said Air Peace claimed to have provided hotel accommodation and care for affected passengers, although the NCAA was still verifying that claim. Achimugu said the airline had been directed to submit a compensation package in line with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.

“Timely and honest information is key, and there was a gap in this regard,” Achimugu said, adding that sending the wrong notification did not amount to a force majeure event. He warned that the airline could face heavier sanctions if it failed to provide the required compensation and duty of care.

The dispute comes amid wider concerns over flight delays. NCAA data for August 2026 showed Air Peace with 1,330 delays out of 1,864 flights, a 71.4 per cent delay rate. Air Peace disputed the figures, saying it operated 2,564 flights during the month and that more than 700 flights were missing from the NCAA data. The airline also said only about 15 per cent of its delays were caused by internal factors.