The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has summoned the management of Air Peace Limited following numerous consumer complaints from across Nigeria regarding the airline’s failure to refund ticket fares, even in cases where flights were cancelled by the airline.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Director of Corporate Affairs of FCCPC, Mr. Ondaje Ijagwu, in Abuja, which was made public on Monday, June 16, 2025.
Ijagwu stated that if the allegations against Air Peace are confirmed, the airline would be violating Sections 130(1)(a) and (b) and 130(2)(b) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018. These sections explicitly guarantee consumers the right to timely refunds when advance bookings or reservations are not fulfilled due to a service provider’s failure.
These legal provisions enshrine the principle of fair dealing and protect consumers from unfair, unjust, or unreasonable practices by service providers.
In a formal summons dated Friday, June 13, 2025, the FCCPC, invoking Sections 32 and 33 of the FCCPA 2018, directed Air Peace to appear before the Commission at its Abuja Headquarters on Monday, June 23, 2025.
The Commission’s spokesperson further explained, “Section 33(3) of the FCCPA mandates compliance, and failure to comply attracts severe sanctions, including fines or imprisonment. The airline is also required to produce documentary evidence such as a complaint log for refund requests over the past twelve months, records of all refunds processed to date, a list of cancelled flights across all routes within the last twelve months, and details of remedial actions taken to mitigate consumer hardship resulting from flight cancellations.”
It is important to note that in December 2024, the FCCPC began investigations into separate allegations of exploitative ticket pricing by Air Peace, including substantial price increases for advance bookings on certain domestic routes. Air Peace responded by initiating legal action seeking to restrain the Commission from continuing that inquiry, which is a distinct matter from the current refund-related summons.
Mr. Ijagwu reaffirmed the Commission’s dedication to enforcing the FCCPA (2018), stating, “The FCCPC remains committed to holding service providers accountable and ensuring that consumers, including airline passengers, are protected from exploitative or unfair market practices.”
