Consumer Protection Commission Summons Air Peace for Non Refund of Ticket Fares

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has summoned the management of Air Peace Limited to appear before it over allegations of non-refund of ticket fares to passengers, even in cases where the airline cancelled its scheduled flights.

The commission’s directive is contained in a formal notice dated June 13, 2025, and requires Air Peace to appear at the FCCPC’s Abuja headquarters on June 23, 2025.

The FCCPC’s action is predicated on multiple complaints received from passengers across the country, alleging that Air Peace has failed to refund ticket fares despite cancelling flights.

These actions potentially contravene Sections 130(1)(a) and (b), and 130(2)(b) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, which guarantee consumers the right to prompt refunds when bookings or reservations are not honoured due to a service provider’s failure.

The FCCPC’s summons requires Air Peace to provide specific documentary evidence, including a complaint log of refund-related issues over the last 12 months, records of all processed refunds to date, a list of all cancelled flights on all routes within the same period, and measures taken to alleviate hardship caused to affected passengers.

The summons comes days after Senator Adams Oshiomhole and officials of Air Peace engaged in a disagreement over the alleged extortion of Nigerian passengers. Oshiomhole claimed that he missed a flight due to racketeering activities by airline officials, who allegedly cleared passengers who arrived later than him.

The senator also alleged that airline staff demanded an additional N109,100 to reschedule passengers to an 8:30 am flight.

The FCCPC’s director of corporate affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, stated that the commission is committed to protecting consumers’ rights and ensuring that service providers comply with the law. “Specifically, Section 33(3) of the FCCPA mandates compliance and failure attracts severe sanctions including fines or imprisonment,” Ijagwu said.

The FCCPC’s action against Air Peace is a significant step towards ensuring that consumers’ rights are protected and that service providers are held accountable for their actions.

The outcome of the hearing on June 23, 2025, will be closely watched by passengers and industry stakeholders alike.