Air Peace has attributed the cancellation of its Abuja-Maiduguri flight on Saturday September 26 to a shortage of aviation fuel at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and a subsequent restriction on operations at the Maiduguri airport.
The airline said the initial delays to its Abuja operations were caused by the unavailability of Jet A1 aviation fuel, a situation it said also affected other airlines operating from the airport.
According to Air Peace, flight operations resumed after aviation fuel became available, but its Abuja-Maiduguri service could not operate after the control tower at the Maiduguri airport withdrew an earlier extension that would have allowed the aircraft to arrive after sunset.
The airline disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday on its social media handles in response to videos and reports showing passengers expressing frustration over the disruption at the Abuja airport.
Air Peace said the Maiduguri flight was initially expected to operate after the fuel-related delays in Abuja had been resolved.
It said the Maiduguri control tower had initially granted an extension for the flight to arrive beyond sunset but later informed the airline, around the time passengers were being called for boarding, that the airport had become subject to visual flight rules and would no longer permit operations beyond sunset.
Visual flight rules require aircraft to operate under specified visual weather and visibility conditions. The airline said the change made it impossible to operate the Abuja-Maiduguri flight as planned, leading to its cancellation.
Air Peace said affected passengers were provided with refreshments and later accommodated in a hotel, while arrangements were made for the flight to operate the following day.
“We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our esteemed passengers and appreciate their patience and understanding,” the airline said.
The latest disruption comes amid increased scrutiny of flight delays and cancellations in Nigeria and airlines’ handling of affected passengers.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) recorded 7,961 domestic flights in August, of which 4,765 were delayed and 36 cancelled.
Air Peace accounted for 1,330 delayed flights in the NCAA data, representing 71.4 per cent of the 1,864 flights attributed to the airline.
The airline, however, disputed the figures, saying it operated 2,564 flights during the month and that more than 700 flights were not captured in the NCAA dataset.
Air Peace also said only 391 of its delayed flights were caused by factors within its control.
The latest incident also follows an NCAA directive for Air Peace to prepare a compensation package for passengers affected by a delayed Lagos-Enugu flight.
The regulator said its preliminary investigation found that the airline had sent passengers an incorrect notification concerning the rescheduled flight.
Under the NCAA’s Part 19 regulations, airlines are required to provide passengers with information and assistance during delays and cancellations in specified circumstances.
For domestic flights, passengers are entitled to refreshments after a two-hour delay, while longer disruptions may trigger provisions for reimbursement, rerouting, accommodation and, where applicable, compensation.
Air Peace said the safety and well-being of its passengers remained its priority.
