FCCPC summons Air Peace over alleged failure to refund cancelled flight tickets

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has summoned the management of Air Peace Limited over a series of passenger complaints alleging the airline’s failure to refund ticket fares for flights it cancelled.

The move was confirmed in a statement released on Monday by Mr. Ondaje Ijagwu, the FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, in Abuja. According to Ijagwu, the Commission has been inundated with reports from aggrieved passengers who claim that Air Peace failed to honor refund obligations after unilaterally cancelling scheduled flights.

Ijagwu emphasized that if these allegations are found to be true, the airline would be in violation of Sections 130(1)(a), 130(1)(b), and 130(2)(b) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) of 2018.

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These provisions explicitly protect the rights of consumers, including the entitlement to timely refunds for advance bookings or reservations that go unfulfilled due to the failure of the service provider.

This provision enshrines 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.