The Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Chris Najomo, has defended Air Peace over the recent disruption of its London operations, insisting that the airline acted responsibly by grounding the aircraft after a technical issue was discovered.
Speaking during an interview on the sidelines of the NCAA Digital Transformation Initiative in Lagos, Najomo rejected claims that the airline deliberately stranded passengers in London.
Daily Trust reports that a London-Lagos flight was recently aborted after a technical issue was discovered on the operating aircraft.
The Airline had said it acted in line with the global standard and recommended practices by grounding the flight and providing an alternative aircraft.
Speaking on the issue, the DG faulted claim that passengers were stranded.“I do not agree with you using the word stranded. There is no airline that will want to leave its passengers stranded. Delays and cancellations happen everywhere,” he said.The NCAA boss explained that the incident occurred after the aircraft landed in London and passengers had already disembarked before a routine ramp inspection detected a technical issue.
According to him, the airline immediately contacted aircraft manufacturer Boeing, which advised that the aircraft should not continue operations until the issue was resolved.
“Air Peace did the right thing by not operating that flight. They called Boeing and informed them about the situation, and Boeing said the aircraft could not operate,” he said.
Najomo disclosed that even his wife was on the affected flight, adding that the airline made arrangements for passengers, including accommodation close to the airport while waiting for a replacement aircraft.
“He took the passengers and told them to wait for another aircraft coming from Abuja to take them back. The hotel where the passengers were lodged was within the airport area,” he stated.
The DGCA expressed concern over the negative publicity surrounding the incident, arguing that similar disruptions occur regularly among international carriers without attracting the same level of criticism.
“What happened with Air Peace in London went viral, and it is not good. Look at what happened to Delta and other airlines globally. Was there any uproar about it? These are machines. Anything can happen,” he said.
Najomo urged Nigerians to support indigenous airlines instead of rushing to condemn them whenever operational disruptions occur.
“We should support our own. When Air Peace is wrong, I will tell them they are wrong. But in this case, they did what they were supposed to do,” he added.
He also cited incidents involving British Airways and Lufthansa, noting that flight cancellations and delays are common occurrences in global aviation.
According to him, the aviation sector worldwide is currently under pressure due to rising operational costs, including the impact of global conflicts on aviation fuel prices.
Najomo said the Federal Government was already supporting domestic operators through policy interventions aimed at easing operational burdens on airlines.
He revealed that the government had granted airlines a 30 per cent discount on debts owed to aviation agencies and was also engaging fuel marketers to reduce the cost of Jet A1 fuel.
“The President has directed the minister to do everything possible to support the airlines. Meetings have been held with marketers, and fuel prices have already started coming down slightly,” he said. The NCAA boss explained that despite rising costs, many Nigerian airlines have avoided increasing ticket fares in order to protect passengers.
According to him, some operators have instead adopted cost-cutting measures, including reducing onboard catering services.
“There is pressure globally. Lufthansa has cut several flights. Spirit Air in America has gone bust. So this is not only happening in Nigeria; it is a global thing,” he said.
Najomo also confirmed that the NCAA’s digital transformation programme would go live on July 2, 2026.
He explained that the authority was currently testing the platform internally using existing NCAA licences before its full deployment.
“By July 2, we should go live. What we are doing right now is to use the licences we already have in NCAA as a test run, and after that, we will go live. I am sure it will work,” he added.
