NCAA orders Air Peace to prepare compensation for passengers — Premium Times Nigeria
In Nigeria, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has instructed airline Air Peace to prepare a compensation package for passengers on a Lagos–Enugu flight whose departure was postponed by more than ten hours. The regulator’s preliminary review found that the carrier had sent passengers an erroneous notification about a schedule change.
As Premium Times Nigeria reports, the flight was scheduled to depart Lagos at 6:45 on Monday, but was rescheduled to 16:50. As a result, passengers waited for several hours at Murtala Muhammed Airport.
Erroneous notification to passengers
A complaint was filed with the regulator by human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong. He said that he arrived at Terminal One of the airport at around 5:50, having checked in for the morning flight the previous day. According to him, about an hour later, Air Peace employees announced that the departure had been moved to the evening.
Effiong also noted that at around 2:01, the airline sent him a reminder to arrive for the flight, even though the schedule had already been changed. According to him, because of the delay, he missed a scheduled court hearing in Enugu State and incurred additional transport and other expenses.
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NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection Michael Achimugu explained that the delay was related to the consequences of disruptions the previous night. At the same time, he stressed that Air Peace should have informed passengers on the morning flight about the postponement.
Compensation requirement
According to Achimugu, an Air Peace management representative initially said that passengers had been informed. After Effiong published a screenshot of the message he received, the airline’s managers confirmed that it had been sent in error. Air Peace also told the NCAA that passengers had been accommodated in a hotel before boarding, but the regulator was still verifying this information.
The NCAA instructed Air Peace to submit a compensation package in accordance with Part 19 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023. The regulator stated that sending an erroneous notification cannot be considered a force majeure circumstance. If the carrier provides compensation and proper assistance to passengers, sanctions may not be imposed, but sanctions are possible if it fails to meet the requirements.
The rules require domestic air carriers to explain the reasons for a delay no later than 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time. After two hours of delay, passengers are entitled to meals and communication assistance, and after three hours, to a refund or rerouting under the conditions stipulated by the rules.
