Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has summoned the management of Air Peace following growing complaints from passengers over the airline’s failure to refund ticket fares, particularly in cases involving cancelled flights.
The Commission, in a statement issued by its Director of Corporate Affairs, said Air Peace may be in violation of Sections 130(1)(a), 130(1)(b), and 130(2)(b) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018. These provisions guarantee consumers the right to timely refunds for services paid for in advance but not delivered due to the service provider’s fault. The Act also mandates fair treatment and protects consumers from unjust business practices.
Citing its powers under Sections 32 and 33 of the Act, the FCCPC issued a formal summons dated June 13, 2025, instructing Air Peace to appear at its Abuja headquarters on June 23, 2025. The Commission emphasized that compliance is mandatory under Section 33(3), which carries penalties including fines or imprisonment for failure to comply.
As part of the summons, Air Peace is expected to submit several documents, including a log of refund-related complaints over the past year, records of processed refunds, a list of cancelled flights on all routes within the same period, and details of measures taken to mitigate the impact of these cancellations on affected passengers.
This new regulatory move is separate from an earlier investigation launched in December 2024 over alleged exploitative pricing by the airline. That probe, focused on sudden spikes in ticket prices for advance bookings, led Air Peace to file a legal challenge aimed at halting the FCCPC’s inquiry.
Despite the pending lawsuit, the Commission reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing consumer protection laws, stressing that it will continue to hold businesses including airlines, accountable for practices deemed exploitative or unfair to the public.
