The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has summoned the management of Air Peace Limited following widespread complaints from passengers across the country about unrefunded ticket fares, including instances where the airline itself cancelled the flights.

The development was disclosed in a statement on Monday by the Commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu.

The statement emphasized that the alleged failure to provide refunds may violate Sections 130(1)(a), 130(1)(b), and 130(2)(b) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018, which ensures consumers’ right to timely refunds when prepaid services are not delivered.

In a formal summons dated June 13, 2025, the FCCPC instructed Air Peace to appear at its Abuja headquarters on Monday, June 23.

The Commission referenced Sections 32 and 33 of the FCCPA, warning that failure to comply may lead to sanctions, including fines or imprisonment, as outlined in Section 33(3).

“The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has summoned the management of Air Peace Limited over a deluge of consumer complaints from across the country relating to the non-refund of ticket fares, even in instances where the airline had cancelled its flight operations,” the statement read in part.

The FCCPC has further required the airline to provide documentation such as a record of refund-related complaints over the last twelve months, evidence of refunds processed, a list of all flights cancelled during that time, and information on steps taken to address passenger difficulties.

Section 130 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 grants consumers the right to receive timely and fair refunds when a service provider, like an airline, fails to deliver a prepaid service.

The law specifically states that if a business agrees to provide a service but fails to meet expected standards or complete the service—such as in the case of a cancelled flight—the consumer is entitled to a refund proportional to the failure.

Furthermore, Part 19 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Regulations 2023 details airline passenger rights and airline obligations, with Section 19.9 affirming that passengers must be reimbursed or offered re-routing when a flight is cancelled.