Abuja, Nigeria — Chaos dey reign for Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport as Air Peace cancel small flights wey leave passengers stranded overnight. Dis incident happen on Friday as families, expatriates, and children find demself sleeping on cold aluminum chairs after dem airline cancel multiple scheduled flights.
Eyewitnesses capture angry passengers for video, dey protest, dey demand answers. Dis wahala fit affect many people as na dem dey consider if Air Peace fit continue operations properly, especially with di increasing number of cancellations wey don happen lately.
Di Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) don already summon Air Peace due to dem serial delays and cancellations. Michael Achimugu, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, talk say dem dey seriously concerned about Air Peace operations and dem need urgent actions to restore trust. Dis statement come from high-level meeting wey take place for NCAA headquarters, where Captain Chris Najomo, di Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), meet with Air Peace senior management.
Captain Najomo don advise di airline to reduce dem operations to fit di available aircraft wey dey ground to stop disruption and provide reliable flights. He remark, “Di NCAA don receive many complaints about chronic flight cancellations and delays by Air Peace. Dis trend need urgent reversal.” He also talk say, “Strict compliance with aviation regulations and global best practices no be optional.”
Passengers wey suffered dis delay no fit hide dere frustration. Dr. Kunle Ashimi, former Chairman of di Nigerian Medical Association for Ogun State, join dem as one of di stranded passengers. Dr. Ashimi talk say e was scheduled to fly at 6:00 pm, but dem pushed di flight to 8:00 pm, and he no go leave di airport until after 3:15 am. E lament say, “If na passenger dey arrive late, dem go face penalties or be denied boarding. But who dey hold di airline responsible for dis kind treatment?”
Another passenger, a nursing mother wey identify as Adetoun, run am out to explain say her child get doctor appointment in Lagos for di early morning but dem now dey trapped to sleep for di airport hall. E pain her as she dey fear for her child wellbeing, saying, “My child suppose see di doctor in di morning, but now we dey here dey sleep and dey battle mosquitoes.”
For an official response, Air Peace don state say dem grounded flights and make cancellations for di safety of passengers. Dr. Ejike Ndiulo, di airline spokesperson, no respond to inquiries from our correspondent as no call or text messages dey returned. Air Peace statement say di decisions to cancel or delay flights be motivated by safety concerns, saying, “We no dey ready to operate flights if weather conditions or technical parameters no dey ok.”
Air Peace further emphasize say safety na di top priority for dem and dem dey work hard to resolve di current operational issues. Dem say passengers experiencing inconvenience deserve empathy and Greet dem customers wey dey suffer from delays.
As di clock dey tick and di passengers still dey wait for clarity, di NCAA don announce say dem go intensify oversight and regulation on all Nigerian airlines to make sure dem dey comply with flight schedules. Dis situation dey unfold, and many dey wonder as dem go take solve dis wahala for di aviation industry.
