Follow Us on Google
By Chioma Kel-Aguwuom
In recent weeks, the social media has been awash with videos, commentaries, and emotionally charged accusations against Air Peace, Nigeria’s leading indigenous airline. Some of the videos have called for passengers to boycott the airline, while others have attempted to portray it as an unreliable carrier undeserving of public trust. As a regular air traveller on both domestic and international routes, I have watched these developments closely.
Having flown with several airlines over the years, I can confidently say that Air Peace has become my preferred airline in recent times, not because it is perfect, but because it has consistently demonstrated resilience, expansion, and a determination to compete in an industry where survival itself is a daily battle. That is why the current wave of attacks against the airline deserves closer scrutiny. No airline anywhere in the world operates without disruptions. Delays, cancellations, technical issues, bird strikes, weather challenges, airport congestion, fuel scarcity, and operational bottlenecks are realities of global aviation.
What distinguishes serious airlines from irresponsible ones is not the absence of disruptions, but how they respond to them. Unfortunately, many of the recent narratives against Air Peace have deliberately ignored this reality. Take the recent London Gatwick-Lagos incident involving a bird strike. The aircraft was reportedly grounded in line with global aviation safety protocols after the incident occurred. Passengers were informed, hotel accommodation was arranged, and the airline maintained communication while working through operational challenges involving baggage handling and airport procedures.
Yet, social media clips surfaced presenting the situation as though passengers had been abandoned without care or information. Predictably, outrage followed. What many people conveniently failed to mention is that bird strikes are recognised globally as force majeure events in aviation. No responsible airline would ignore safety procedures simply to satisfy impatient passengers or protect its public image. In fact, if an airline proceeds with a flight after a bird strike without proper inspection and something tragic happens, the same critics would be the first to ask why safety protocols were ignored.
Only recently, an international airline, Delta Air Lines, reportedly had a flight return to Atlanta after spending about eight hours in the air and making a U-turn over the Atlantic Ocean due to operational concerns. Nobody called for the destruction of the airline. Nobody demanded a boycott campaign against it. Flight disruptions happen everywhere. Across the aviation industry globally, airlines are grappling with enormous operational pressures. Nigeria’s situation is even more difficult because of the crippling cost of Jet A1 aviation fuel.
Reports indicate that fuel prices surged by over 300 percent within a short period, jumping from about N900 per litre to over N3,000 per litre at some point. This is not a minor inconvenience. Aviation fuel is one of the biggest operational costs for airlines. When prices rise astronomically, airlines face intense pressure just to remain operational. The situation became so severe that some domestic operators openly threatened to suspend operations. Rano Air recently announced the temporary suspension of some routes because sustaining operations had become commercially unsustainable.
Against this backdrop, one must ask: how exactly has Air Peace become the villain? Rather than acknowledging the difficult environment within which Nigerian airlines operate, some individuals appear more interested in amplifying isolated incidents into full-blown reputational warfare. Even more disturbing is the recycling of old videos and outdated complaints to create the impression of a continuous crisis around Air Peace. This goes beyond normal customer dissatisfaction. It raises legitimate concerns about a coordinated attempt to demarket the airline.
The smear campaign is a sustained, coordinated one on different fronts and issues. For instance, in April 2026, a lawyer sued the airline over a “seat-only” business-class upgrade policy. Besides, last month, a court affirmed the authority of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the apex regulatory market agency, to investigate passenger complaints against Air Peace regarding ticket refunds and cancellations.
The airline has strongly refuted claims of collusion regarding its Lagos-Sao Paulo route describing such allegations as “scam”, and a deliberate attempt to malign the airline and the Nigerian government. The company has warned the public about fraudulent websites impersonating them to refund travellers. In all of this, Air Peace maintains that it’s open to criticism but describes these specific actions as blackmail intended to distract it from its goal of expanding its aviation network.
Other News
There is no doubt that passengers have every right to express frustration when flights are delayed or cancelled. Travellers plan meetings, events, business engagements, medical appointments, and family activities around flight schedules. Disruptions can be painful and costly.
However, criticism must still be fair and balanced.
When disruptions arise from factors beyond an airline’s control, honesty demands that the full context be presented. Aviation is not a roadside transport business where a vehicle can simply be repaired and returned to the road within minutes. Every process in aviation is heavily regulated because human lives are involved.
Safety cannot be compromised for public relations optic. What many critics also fail to appreciate is the significance of what Air Peace represents in Nigeria’s aviation. In 2024, the company accounted for nearly 20% of the total 15.6 million passengers recorded in both domestic and international routes.
For years, Nigerians complained about the domination of foreign airlines on international routes and the absence of a strong indigenous carrier capable of competing globally. When Air Peace stepped into that space and began international operations, many Nigerians celebrated it as a symbol of local capacity and national pride.
The airline did not merely enter the market quietly. It disrupted long-standing monopolies, introduced competitive pricing on some routes, expanded regional connectivity, and forced conversations around fairer airfare structures. Naturally, such disruption would not make everyone happy. In highly competitive industries, successful players often become targets. Negative publicity, coordinated outrage, exaggerated narratives, and perception warfare are tools frequently deployed to weaken strong brands. That is why the ongoing attacks against Air Peace should not be viewed only through the narrow lens of customer complaints. There is also the broader issue of economic patriotism.
Countries that have strong aviation industries typically support their local carriers because they understand the economic and strategic importance of aviation. Airlines create jobs, stimulate tourism, facilitate trade, improve connectivity, and project national identity internationally. Destroying indigenous airlines through relentless public vilification ultimately hurts the country more than the airline itself. This does not mean Air Peace should be shielded from criticism. Far from it. Constructive criticism is necessary for growth. The airline must continue improving customer service, strengthening communication during disruptions, investing in operational efficiency, and responding faster to passenger concerns.
Passengers deserve respect, transparency, and timely updates. But there is a clear difference between constructive criticism and outright demarketing. From my personal experience as a frequent traveller, Air Peace has remained one of the most accessible and ambitious Nigerian airlines in operation today. I have witnessed professionalism from crew members, improvements in service delivery, and a visible commitment to expansion despite obvious operational pressures confronting the entire aviation sector. No airline is immune from mistakes. Even the biggest global carriers experience cancellations, delays, technical faults, and customer complaints. The difference is that many Nigerians often hold local brands to impossibly harsh standards while extending understanding to foreign competitors facing similar or worse situations. That mentality must change if indigenous businesses are to survive and thrive. The truth is simple: Air Peace is succeeding in an environment where many airlines are struggling to stay afloat. It has become visible, influential, and competitive. With visibility comes scrutiny, and with success comes opposition. But the smear campaign against the airline will ultimately fail because Nigerians are capable of distinguishing between genuine criticism and deliberate attempts to undermine a homegrown success story. The airline’s continued expansion, loyal customer base, and growing presence on international routes suggest that many travellers are making decisions based on their actual experiences rather than social media outrage.
In the end, aviation is built on safety, resilience, and public confidence. Air Peace will certainly need to keep improving its operations and communication strategy, especially in an era where a single viral video can shape public perception within minute. However, those seeking to destroy the airline through sensationalism and coordinated negativity may eventually discover that facts, performance, and public experience are far more enduring than propaganda. Air Peace may face turbulence like every airline does, but one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the smear campaign against it simply will not fly.
• .Chioma, a regular flyer, writes from Abuja
