The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has officially summoned Air Peace Limited’s management following a growing wave of complaints from passengers across Nigeria, alleging persistent failures by the airline to refund ticket fares in cases where it cancelled its own scheduled flights.
This development was announced in a statement issued by the Commission’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Ondaje Ijagwu, on Monday in Abuja. The FCCPC is invoking key provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 to investigate what it describes as potentially unlawful conduct on the part of the airline.
Ijagwu noted that should these allegations be substantiated, Air Peace would be in violation of Sections 130(1)(a) and (b) as well as 130(2)(b) of the FCCPA. These provisions guarantee consumers the right to receive timely refunds for services not rendered, particularly where cancellations stem from the service provider’s own failure. The act underscores the principles of fairness and prohibits exploitative or unreasonable conduct by any service provider.
In a formal summons dated June 13, 2025, the FCCPC directed Air Peace to appear before the Commission at its headquarters in Abuja on Monday, June 23, 2025. The Commission is acting under Sections 32 and 33 of the FCCPA, which confer upon it the authority to compel appearances and documents in the course of investigations. Ijagwu emphasized that under Section 33(3), non-compliance with this summons could lead to punitive consequences, including fines or imprisonment.
As part of the ongoing inquiry, the FCCPC has ordered Air Peace to present a range of documentary evidence. This includes a comprehensive complaint log detailing all refund-related grievances over the last twelve months, a full record of all processed refunds to date, a complete list of cancelled flights across all its routes within the same timeframe, and any remedial steps taken by the airline to minimize passenger distress caused by those cancellations.
It will be recalled that this is not the first time Air Peace has been under regulatory scrutiny. In December 2024, the FCCPC initiated a separate investigation into allegations of exploitative ticket pricing, especially with regard to sudden spikes in fares for advance bookings on select domestic routes. At the time, Air Peace responded by filing a legal suit in a bid to restrain the Commission from pursuing that inquiry. However, the current investigation into refund practices is an entirely separate issue.
“The FCCPC remains committed to enforcing the provisions of the FCCPA (2018),” Ijagwu stated. “We are resolute in our mission to hold all service providers accountable and ensure that consumers, especially airline passengers, are shielded from unfair and exploitative market behaviors.”
The Commission reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on consumer rights violations and signaled that it would not hesitate to impose sanctions where necessary to protect the public interest.
What you should know
Air Peace has been summoned by the FCCPC over widespread claims of non-refunded ticket fares following cancelled flights. The Commission is demanding accountability and full disclosure, warning that non-compliance could attract penalties under consumer protection law.
