Air Peace has rejected the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority’s (NCAA) August 2026 flight disruption report, disputing the figures published by the regulator and saying only 15 per cent of its flights were delayed during the month which were attributable to internal operational factors
The airline, in a statement signed by its Chief Operating Officer, Mrs Toyin Olajide, said the NCAA report contained “fundamental data inaccuracies” regarding its operational volume and failed to properly identify the factors responsible for the delays recorded during the period
According to the airline, it operated 2,564 flights in August, contrary to the 1,864 flights stated in the NCAA report
Air Peace said the omission of more than 700 flights from the regulator’s data pool distorted its performance metrics and resulted in an inaccurate representation of its delay rate
The airline also questioned why the NCAA began its monthly flight-delay data series with August, rather than July, following the publication of its first- and second-quarter reports on July 31
“It is indeed worrisome that there is still no equivalent monthly data located for July, yet NCAA published unusually granular August airline delay data only 13 days after month-end,” the airline said
Air Peace further argued that the August report should have acknowledged the extraordinary operational disruptions caused by external factors during the month, particularly the industrial action by aviation unions
It said disruptions arising from the August 11 picketing of the airline by union members lingered for more than 14 days, resulting in flight rescheduling, delays and cancellations
The airline said its internal review showed that 391 flights, representing only 15 per cent of its delays in August, were caused by internal factors
It attributed the internal delays largely to technical issues requiring unscheduled maintenance and fuel-related challenges
However, Air Peace said the majority of its delays resulted from factors outside its control, including airport congestion, bird strikes, airport infrastructure deficiencies, adverse weather, union disruptions and damage to its aircraft by a ground-handling company
According to the airline, airport congestion and traffic accounted for more than 51 per cent of its external delays, with aircraft frequently held on the ground or placed in holding patterns because of infrastructure and airport capacity constraints
The carrier also cited bird strikes as a major operational challenge
It disclosed that one of its aircraft, 5N-BYG, was struck by a bird in Abuja, damaging its inlet cowl and requiring repairs estimated at $18 million.
The aircraft, which the airline said normally operates a minimum of eight sectors daily and carries about 1,000 passengers, was removed from service for more than a week before the damaged inlet cowl was replaced
Air Peace also said deficiencies and unexpected breakdowns in airport facilities affected boarding and departure timelines, while adverse weather conditions led to mandatory safety holds and diversions
The airline noted that a single diversion could result in nearly three hours of delay, with consequential disruptions to subsequent flights
It said it nevertheless continued to provide support to affected passengers, including hotel accommodation in cases arising from external disruptions
Another factor cited was the unprecedented picketing of the airline by aviation unions, which Air Peace said disrupted its operations for more than 14 days
The carrier also blamed damage to one of its aircraft by a ground-handling company, saying the incident kept the aircraft out of active service for more than 14 days
“Again, the narrative that Air Peace is primarily responsible for these delays is completely false,” the airline said
“The majority of the delays experienced by our passengers were driven by external factors and completely outside of our control In stark contrast, delays caused by internal operational factors accounted for just 15 per cent of the total delays experienced during the month of August.”
Air Peace said it had invested heavily in fleet expansion, crew availability, training and maintenance protocols, adding that it remained committed to safety, improved on-time performance and passenger satisfaction
It, however, said airlines could not safely or logistically bypass airport congestion, inadequate infrastructure, adverse weather and other systemic operational constraints
The airline urged the NCAA to review its data collection methodology to ensure that future reports accurately reflect airlines’ operational volumes, delay causal factors and the wider operating environment in the Nigerian aviation sector
“We have restrained ourselves from making these facts public before now but we have now been pushed beyond acceptable limits, hence the need to go public and state the facts the way they are,” Air Peace said