Passengers Protest As Air Peace Heathrow–Nigeria Flight Delay

Passengers scheduled to travel to Nigeria on an Air Peace flight from London Heathrow Airport reportedly became frustrated after repeated delays left them stranded overnight at the airport.

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Some of the affected passengers said the flight, initially scheduled to depart at 9:20 p.m. on Saturday, was first delayed to 10:20 p.m., after which airline officials allegedly stopped providing updates.

According to travellers, the lack of clear communication from airline officials angered passengers waiting to board the flight.

According to Sahara Reporters, one passenger claimed the situation became tense after several hours of uncertainty.

The traveller said, “Passengers almost beat up the operational manager at London Heathrow Airport on Saturday.

“We were scheduled to depart London at 21:20 (9:20 p.m.), but they moved it and said we would depart at 22:20 (10:20 p.m.). But around that time, they stopped responding to us. That was when passengers became enraged.”

Passengers said the prolonged silence from airline officials created confusion and heightened frustration among those waiting at the airport.

Travellers were eventually taken to a nearby hotel in the early hours of Sunday morning.

According to passengers, the airline later issued an email apologising for the disruption and announcing a new departure time.

“Around 3 a.m., we were evacuated to a hotel. They later sent an email apologising, saying that the time to leave is now 15:00 (3:00 p.m.) on Sunday,” one passenger said.

Some travellers described the experience as chaotic, saying the delay and limited communication worsened the situation.

However, an Air Peace official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the disruption was caused by a technical issue and insisted that passengers were properly informed and accommodated.

The official said, “The passengers were informed about the technical issue and we provided all of them hotel accommodations.

“All of them were provided information that XYZ service will not be operating due to a technical issue and we provided them based on NCAA directive, customer protections and of course customer regulatory service.”

The official added that passengers were given options, including rescheduling their flights or waiting for the next available departure.

He said, “We provided them hotel accommodations and of course people also had the opportunity to fly on another service. We have given them the opportunity to reschedule, and we have also given them the opportunity to stay in the hotel while the flight is rescheduled to another time.”

The airline also dismissed claims that passengers were abandoned or not properly informed.

The official said, “So if you are saying that the people are agitated, I think that is a wrong narrative that is being pushed out.

“I can confirm that any information that we left them stranded or anything like that is wrong. I don’t know where the narrative that we didn’t communicate to them came from.

“If it was so, how did they get hotel accommodations? How did people know that the flight was not flying? So I think that is an attempt to cause problems because passengers were officially informed.”

The development comes weeks after Air Peace was summoned by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority over a series of passenger complaints relating to flight disruptions.

According to reports, the directive followed complaints from travellers on the Heathrow–Abuja route, who were reportedly rerouted through Gatwick–Lagos–Abuja before being stranded in Lagos after an air return caused by a cracked windshield.

The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NCAA, Michael Achimugu, confirmed that the regulator had activated its Consumer Protection Department to investigate the situation.

He said the investigation was prompted by issues including flight disruptions, delayed refunds, unprocessed compensation and other passenger complaints.

“Appropriate action will be taken as usual based on the facts of the incident as enshrined in Part 19 of the NCAA regulations 2023,” Achimugu said.