June 16, 2025 – The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has officially summoned Air Peace Limited following a surge in complaints from Nigerian airline passengers over non-refunded ticket fares, even in cases where the airline itself cancelled flight operations.
According to the FCCPC, these reported actions may breach Sections 130(1)(a) and (b), and 130(2)(b) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018. These provisions guarantee the right to a refund when a service provider fails to deliver a service that was paid for in advance, including flight reservations.
In a summons issued on June 13, 2025, the Commission called for the management of Air Peace to appear at the FCCPC headquarters in Abuja on Monday, June 23, 2025. The summons was made under Sections 32 and 33 of the FCCPA.
Section 33(3) of the Act clearly states that failure to comply with the Commission’s summons could result in heavy penalties, including fines and possible imprisonment.
Air Peace has also been directed to provide key documents such as a full complaint log for refund requests over the last twelve months, a detailed record of all refunds processed, a list of all cancelled flights on its domestic and international routes during the same period, and any steps taken to ease the hardship caused to affected passengers.
Earlier in December 2024, the Commission had launched a separate investigation into Air Peace over alleged exploitative pricing, especially the sharp increase in ticket prices for advance bookings on certain local routes. Air Peace responded by filing a legal suit to stop the Commission from continuing that particular investigation.
However, the FCCPC has clarified that the current summons regarding non-refunded ticket fares is a different matter entirely.
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“The Commission remains fully committed to enforcing the FCCPA 2018,” said Ondaje Ijagwu, Director of Corporate Affairs. “We will ensure that consumers, especially those who book flight tickets, are not subjected to unfair or exploitative practices in the marketplace.”
