A number of passengers, including expatriates, children, and families, were left stranded overnight at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after Air Peace suddenly cancelled multiple flights.
With no accommodation or alternatives provided, many passengers had no choice but to sleep on the hard, cold aluminum chairs in the airport’s departure hall.
As frustration mounted, some passengers stood in protest, demanding answers, while others sat in disbelief, exhausted and uncertain of what to do next.
This disruption is just the latest in a series of cancellations by Air Peace, which has sparked tensions with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The NCAA has issued repeated warnings to the airline regarding its chronic delays and cancellations.
However, Air Peace insists that the flight disruptions are due to safety measures, prioritizing the well-being of its passengers.
Among the stranded passengers was Dr. Kunle Ashimi, the former Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Ogun State.
He was scheduled to fly on the 6:00 pm flight on Friday, May 2, but was moved to a later 8:00 pm departure.
Despite this, he remained at the airport well past 3:15 am.
Passengers expressed their frustration and called on the government to intervene, urging authorities to take action to prevent further disruptions in Nigeria’s aviation industry, which they say are severely impacting their travel plans and personal schedules.
Ashimi said, “If it had been a passenger arriving late, they would be penalised or denied boarding entirely. But who holds the airline accountable for this kind of abuse?”
He also mentioned that he had booked a hotel in Ikorodu, Lagos, but now faced financial losses and emotional distress due to the prolonged delay, which impacted him and many others.
Ashimi shared the stories of several other frustrated passengers, including one expatriate who missed a crucial international connecting flight, which only operates once a week.
He also recounted the experience of a nursing mother, Adetoun, who was traveling with her child to attend an early doctor’s appointment in Lagos on Saturday, May 3.
However, due to the delay, she and her child were forced to sleep in the airport hall instead of preparing for the appointment.
“My child, who is supposed to meet his doctor in the morning, would have to sleep in the airport hall, contending with mosquitoes, which is very painful for me,” Adetoun said.
In the midst of growing frustration, an Air Peace flight finally arrived at 3:15 am and landed in Lagos at 4:10 am.
Just hours earlier, the airline had defended its decision to cancel or delay flights, stating that safety was the primary concern behind these actions.
Air Peace emphasized that its business priority was safety, not profit, despite operating more aircraft than the daily schedule outlined by the authorities.
The airline issued this statement in response to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority’s warnings, which suggested that Air Peace was overextending itself by operating more routes than it had aircraft to service.
“At Air Peace, safety is and will always remain our cardinal priority. These delays and cancellations are dictated by safety considerations. We fully empathise with our esteemed passengers who experience discomfort, inconvenience, or disrupted plans due to flight delays or cancellations,” Air Peace stated.
“However, we do not regret taking operational decisions rooted in the protection of human lives and in strict adherence to safety standards. If weather conditions, technical parameters, or operational standards fall short of what is safe, we will not operate that flight.”
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