The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has directed Air Peace to develop a compensation package for passengers affected by the delay of its Lagos-Enugu flight, following an investigation that found the airline sent incorrect information to travellers.

The directive followed complaints by human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, who said the disruption prevented him from attending a scheduled court hearing in Enugu State.

Effiong said he arrived at Terminal One of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos at about 5:50am for a 6:45am flight after completing his check-in the previous night.

However, passengers were later informed that the flight had been delayed until 4:50pm.

According to Effiong, the disruption resulted in additional costs and disrupted his professional commitments, including a court appearance scheduled for that morning.

He also alleged that passengers received a reminder from Air Peace at 2:01am asking them to prepare for the flight despite the service eventually not departing at its scheduled time.

NCAA Investigates Passenger Complaint

Responding to the complaint, NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, said the regulator would investigate the circumstances surrounding the disruption.

Following its preliminary investigation, the NCAA established that the delay was connected to disruptions experienced by the airline the previous night.

Achimugu said Air Peace should have informed passengers scheduled to travel the following morning that their flight had been rescheduled.

According to him, senior airline management initially maintained that passengers had been notified of the change. However, Effiong provided the regulator with a screenshot showing that the message he received instead advised passengers to arrive early for the flight.

The airline’s Station Manager and Duty Manager subsequently confirmed that the notification had been sent in error.

“Timely and honest information is key, and there was a gap in this regard,” Achimugu said, adding that sending an incorrect notification did not qualify as a force majeure incident.

Air Peace Asked to Provide Compensation

Following its findings, the NCAA directed Air Peace to provide compensation to the affected passengers in accordance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.

The regulator also said it was working to confirm the airline’s claim that affected passengers had been taken to a hotel and provided with care while awaiting boarding.

Achimugu said the airline would not face sanctions if it fulfilled its compensation and duty-of-care obligations. However, he warned that failure to comply could attract heavy sanctions.

He added that sanctions were not automatically imposed for every flight disruption, as regulatory procedures determine when enforcement measures are appropriate.

Air Peace Recorded 1,330 Delays in August

The incident comes amid scrutiny of domestic airline delays in Nigeria.

According to the NCAA’s August 2026 domestic airline disruption report, 15 carriers operated 7,961 flights during the month, with 4,765 flights delayed and 36 cancelled.

Air Peace was listed as recording 1,330 delays from 1,864 flights, representing a delay rate of 71.4 per cent.

The airline, however, disputed the regulator’s figures, claiming that it operated 2,564 flights during the period and that more than 700 flights were excluded from the NCAA’s data.

Air Peace also maintained that internal factors were responsible for only about 15 per cent of its flight delays.

Efforts to obtain a response from the airline’s spokesperson, Efe Osifo-Whiskey, regarding the Lagos-Enugu disruption were unsuccessful as of the time the original report was filed.