The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has summoned the management of Air Peace Limited following multiple complaints from passengers regarding non-refunded ticket fares, even in cases where the airline cancelled scheduled flights.
In a formal notice dated June 3, 2025, the Commission ordered Air Peace to appear at its Abuja headquarters on Monday, June 23, 2025, to address growing public outcry and allegations of consumer rights violations.
A statement issued by the Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, disclosed the directive on Monday in Abuja.
Ijagwu stated that the airline’s actions contravene Sections 130(1)(a) and (b), and 130(2)(b) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, which guarantee consumers the right to prompt refunds when bookings or reservations are not honoured due to a service provider’s failure.
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He explained that the summons was issued pursuant to Sections 32 and 33 of the Act, requiring Air Peace to provide specific documentary evidence. This includes a complaint log of refund-related issues over the past 12 months, records of all processed refunds to date, a list of all cancelled flights on all routes within the same period, and measures taken to alleviate hardship caused to affected passengers.
The statement read: “The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has summoned the management of Air Peace Limited over a deluge of consumer complaints from across the country relating to the non-refund of ticket fares, even in instances where the airline had cancelled its flight operations.
“These actions potentially contravene Sections 130(1)(a) and (b), and 130(2)(b) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, which expressly guarantee consumers the right to timely refunds where advance bookings, reservations, or orders are unfulfilled due to a service provider’s failure. This provision enshrines the principle of fair dealing and safeguards consumers against unfair, unjust, or unreasonable practices by service providers.
“In a formal summons dated June 13, 2025, the Commission, invoking Sections 32 and 33 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, requires Air Peace to appear before the Commission at its Abuja Headquarters on Monday, June 23, 2025.
“Specifically, Section 33(3) of the FCCPA mandates compliance, and failure attracts severe sanctions, including fines or imprisonment.”
Although not mentioned in the statement, the summons comes days after Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Air Peace officials were embroiled in a dispute over alleged extortion of Nigerian passengers.
The situation escalated when the senator reportedly missed a flight, which he claimed was due to racketeering by airline officials. While Air Peace asserted that Oshiomhole arrived at the airport late, the senator maintained that he, along with other angry passengers, witnessed staff boarding passengers who arrived later.
Oshiomhole said that around 20 to 30 other passengers faced similar treatment, with airline staff allegedly demanding an additional N109,100 to reschedule them to an 8:30 am flight.
(Punch)
