Air Peace cancels Abuja-Maiduguri flight over fuel shortage and airport restrictions
Air Peace canceled its Saturday Abuja-Maiduguri flight due to aviation fuel shortage in Abuja and Maiduguri airport's withdrawal of sunset operation extension. Initial Abuja delays stemmed from unavailable Jet A1 fuel affecting multiple airlines, but after fuel availability restored flights, Maiduguri control tower revoked the flight's sunset arrival extension around boarding time, citing visual flight rules (VFR) requirements. The airline accommodated affected passengers in a hotel and rescheduled the flight for the next day.
This disruption highlights ongoing aviation challenges in Nigeria, with NCAA data showing 4,765 delayed and 36 canceled domestic flights in August alone. Air Peace accounted for 1,330 of those delays (71.4% of its 1,864 recorded flights), though it disputed the figures claiming 2,564 total operations and only 391 delays from internal factors. The incident follows NCAA's recent directive for Air Peace to compensate passengers from a delayed Lagos-Enugu flight due to incorrect rescheduling notifications.
Under NCAA Part 19 regulations, passengers are entitled to refreshments after two-hour delays, with longer disruptions triggering reimbursement, rerouting, accommodation, or compensation. Knowing these rights helps travelers advocate for proper assistance during airline cancellations or delays. Will you check NCAA guidelines next time your flight is disrupted to ensure you receive entitled support?