By Femi Anamelechi
The management of Air Peace Limited has been summoned by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) over consumer complaints from across Nigeria with regards to the non-refund of ticket fares, even in instances where the airline cancelled its flights.This was contained in a statement signed by the Director of Corporate Affairs of FCCPC, Mr Ondaje Ijagwu in Abuja, which was made public on Monday. According to the statement, the conduct of the airline, if found to be true contravene Sections 130(1)(a) and (b) and 130(2)(b) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018, which expressly guarantee consumers the right to timely refunds where advance bookings, reservations, or orders are unfulfilled due to the service provider’s failure.This provision emphasized the principle of fair dealing and safeguards consumers against unfair, unjust, or unreasonable practices by service providers.
In a formal summons dated June 13, 2025, the Commission, invoking Sections 32 and 33 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018, requires Air Peace to appear before the Commission at its Abuja Headquarters on Monday, June 23, 2025.The agency’s spokesman said,; ”Specifically, Section 33(3) of the FCCPA mandates compliance, and failure attracts severe sanctions including fines or imprisonment, and the airline is further directed to produce documentary evidence including a complaint log for refunds over the past twelve (12) months, total records of processed refunds to date, list of cancelled flights on all routes within the past twelve (12) months, and remedial actions taken to mitigate consumer hardship resulting from cancelled flights. ”Recall that in December 2024, the FCCPC had commenced enquiries into separate allegations of exploitative ticket pricing, including substantial price hikes for advance bookings on certain domestic routes by Air Peace.In response, the airline instituted legal proceedings seeking to restrain the Commission from continuing its inquiry. This is an entirely different matter.“The FCCPC remains committed to enforcing the provisions of the FCCPA (2018) and holding service providers accountable and ensuring that consumers, including airline passengers, are protected from exploitative or unfair market practices.” Ijagwu added.
