The sudden cancellation of several Air Peace flights has stranded numerous passengers, including expatriates, children, and families, overnight at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, triggering considerable frustration and public outcry.
Due to the flight cancellations, passengers were compelled to sleep on the uncomfortable metal seating in the airport’s departure area.
Persecondnews reports that social media videos depicted irate travelers demonstrating against the airline’s alleged negligence, with some individuals standing and vocally demanding explanations, while others appeared helpless and resigned.
Passengers’ frustration intensified amid a surge of cancellations affecting Air Peace, sparking tensions between the airline and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Persecondnews reports that the NCAA has issued a warning to Air Peace over its frequent delays and cancellations, but the airline insists its decisions are guided by safety concerns and passenger welfare.
In a statement issued Friday on X (formerly Twitter), the NCAA’s Director General, Mr. Chris Najomo, advised the airline to scale down its operations to match its current fleet size to mitigate the crisis.
The statement reads: “The DGCA, Capt. Chris Najomo has directed Air Peace to immediately improve its domestic operations owing to complaints of chronic flight delays and cancellations by the travelling public.”
In response to the NCAA’s warning, Air Peace issued a statement asserting its compliance with operational standards, addressing concerns that it was overextending its routes beyond available aircraft capacity.
It said: “At Air Peace, safety is and will always remain our cardinal priority. These delays and cancellations are dictated by safety considerations.
” We fully empathise with our esteemed passengers who experience discomfort, inconvenience, or disrupted plans due to flight delays or cancellations.
“However, we do not regret taking operational decisions rooted in the protection of human lives and in strict adherence to safety standards.
“If weather conditions, technical parameters, or operational standards fall short of what is safe, we will not operate that flight.”
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