Dozens of frustrated passengers — including expatriates, children, and families — were left stranded overnight at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after Air Peace abruptly cancelled multiple flights.
Dip Connects Online News confirmed that many passengers were forced to sleep on cold aluminium chairs in the departure hall.
Videos and images obtained by our correspondent captured scenes of travellers protesting the airline’s actions. Some passengers stood in protest demanding explanations, while others sat in distress.
The outrage comes amid a recent wave of flight cancellations by Air Peace, leading to an ongoing standoff between the airline and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). While the NCAA has cautioned Air Peace to put an end to persistent delays and cancellations, the airline insists its decisions are driven by safety concerns and in the best interest of passengers.
Speaking to our correspondent, several stranded passengers decried how the delays disrupted their plans and called on the government to address the growing instability in Nigeria's aviation sector.
Among those affected was the Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Ogun State chapter, Dr. Kunle Ashimi. Scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. flight on Friday, Ashimi said it was first delayed to 8:00 p.m., but passengers remained at the airport until after 3:15 a.m.
“If a passenger arrived late, they would be penalised or even denied boarding. But who holds the airline accountable for this kind of abuse?” Ashimi questioned.
He added that he had already booked a hotel in Ikorodu, Lagos, and expressed frustration over the financial and emotional toll the delay had caused him and others.
Ashimi also recounted the ordeal of other passengers, including an expatriate who missed a once-weekly international connecting flight due to the delay. A nursing mother identified as Adetoun said her child had a medical appointment early Saturday in Lagos but had to sleep in the airport.
“My child, who is supposed to meet his doctor in the morning, will now sleep in the airport hall, contending with mosquitoes — it’s heartbreaking,” she lamented.
After hours of delay, an Air Peace aircraft eventually arrived around 3:15 a.m. and landed in Lagos at 4:10 a.m.
Attempts to reach the airline’s spokesperson, Dr. Ejike Ndiulo, were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages were not returned.
Meanwhile, just hours earlier, Air Peace had issued a statement saying its cancellations and delays were mostly due to safety concerns. The airline stressed that its priority is not profit but the safety of passengers, adding that it currently has more aircraft than are being scheduled by the authorities.
The airline stated: “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.”
“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,” Air Peace added.
See photos below.
ADEOLA KUNLE
