The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has directed Air Peace to provide a compensation package for passengers affected by a delayed Lagos-Enugu flight.

The directive followed a preliminary investigation into the disruption, after the airline was found to have mistakenly sent passengers a notification asking them to report for a flight that had been rescheduled.

The incident was brought to the attention of the NCAA by human rights lawyer and activist Inibehe Effiong, who said the delay caused him to miss a scheduled court appearance in Enugu State.

Effiong said he arrived at Terminal One of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, at about 5:50 a.m. on Monday for the scheduled 6:45 a.m. flight, having checked in the previous night.

He said passengers were kept waiting for about an hour before airline officials informed them that the flight had been moved to 4:50 p.m.

Effiong also said Air Peace sent passengers a reminder at about 2:01 a.m., asking them to report for the flight despite the rescheduling.

The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, initially said the authority would investigate the disruption, describing the incident as a possible ripple effect from disruptions experienced by the airline the previous night.

Following the investigation, Achimugu said Air Peace’s station and duty managers confirmed that the notification sent to passengers was issued in error.

He said the airline should have informed passengers that the flight had been rescheduled and added that the authority was also verifying the airline’s claim that affected passengers had been taken to a hotel pending their departure.

The NCAA subsequently directed Air Peace, in line with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023, to submit a compensation package for the affected passengers.

Achimugu said timely and accurate communication was essential, adding that sending the wrong notification could not be regarded as a force majeure incident.

He said the airline would avoid further sanctions if it provided the required compensation and duty of care to passengers, but warned that heavier sanctions could follow if it failed to comply.

The development comes days after Air Peace disputed NCAA data on its August flight disruptions. The regulator had reported 1,864 disruptions involving the airline, while Air Peace said it operated 2,564 flights during the month and argued that the NCAA figures excluded more than 700 flights.

The airline also said only 391 of its August delays, representing about 15 per cent, were caused by factors within its control, attributing others to issues including airport congestion, weather, industrial action and infrastructure limitations.

The NCAA said the latest incident reinforced the need for airlines to provide passengers with timely and accurate information whenever flight schedules are disrupted.