Air Peace Pushes Back on NCAA Delay Report, Blames Congestion, Weather and Union Action
Nigeria's largest carrier Air Peace has mounted a robust defence of its August 2026 operational performance, attributing the overwhelming majority of its flight delays during the month to external factors beyond its control while simultaneously challenging the accuracy of the data released by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The airline's detailed response, articulated by Chief Operating Officer Mrs Oluwatoyin Olajide, offers a fascinating window into the operational realities confronting African aviation and the sometimes uncomfortable relationship between carriers and their regulators.
According to Olajide, an internal review of Air Peace's August operations showed that only 391 flights, representing approximately 15 per cent of the delays recorded, could reasonably be attributed to factors within the airline's control. These internal disruptions were linked primarily to technical issues requiring unscheduled aircraft maintenance and fuel-related challenges. The remaining disruptions, she argued, resulted from a complex web of external circumstances that no airline can safely or logistically eliminate.
Chief among these external factors is airport congestion, which alone accounted for more than 51 per cent of Air Peace's external delays during August. Olajide described a familiar picture across Nigerian aviation, with aircraft frequently held on the ground or placed in holding patterns because of infrastructure and capacity limitations. This finding echoes concerns previously raised at the Aviation Day of the recent Akwaaba African Travel Market, where multiple carriers called for the introduction of a coordinated slot system to ease morning peak-period congestion.
Adverse weather emerged as another major contributor to disruption during the month. Olajide noted that unfavourable conditions triggered mandatory safety holds and several flight diversions, each of which compounded the operational backlog. A single diversion, she explained, could result in almost three hours of consequential delay, raising the question of whether such disruptions could reasonably be attributed to the airline itself. Despite this, Air Peace continued to provide affected passengers with support, including hotel accommodation, even where disruptions were driven by circumstances entirely outside its control.
The airline's August was further complicated by a series of unusual and highly disruptive incidents. A bird strike in Abuja caused significant damage to the inlet cowl of aircraft 5N-BYG, requiring repairs estimated at approximately US\$1.8 million and taking the aircraft out of service for more than a week. Given that the aircraft ordinarily operates a minimum of eight sectors daily and carries around 1,000 passengers, its removal from the rotation triggered substantial knock-on effects across the network. Damage inflicted on another Air Peace aircraft by a ground handling company subsequently forced that jet out of active operations for a further 14 days.
Compounding the operational challenges was the picketing of Air Peace by aviation union members, which began on 11 August and affected the airline's operations for more than 14 days. The industrial action resulted in extensive flight rescheduling, delays and cancellations, adding a further layer of complexity to an already turbulent month.
Beyond the causes of the disruptions, Air Peace also challenged the NCAA's underlying data. Olajide stated that the airline operated 2,564 flights in August 2026, compared to the 1,864 flights recorded in the NCAA report. This omission of more than 700 flights, she argued, artificially inflated the airline's reported delay percentage and distorted its performance metrics. The carrier also questioned the regulator's decision to begin monthly airline delay reporting with August rather than July, particularly given that quarterly reports had already been published on 31 July.
The absence of equivalent monthly data for July, coupled with the release of detailed August figures just 13 days after month-end, raised legitimate questions about the methodology used in compiling the report. Air Peace further suggested that the NCAA should have identified the causes of delays attributed to individual airlines rather than publishing figures that, in its view, risked damaging carrier reputations without adequately reflecting the prevailing operating environment.
The airline emphasised that it has invested heavily in its fleet, crew availability, continuous training and maintenance protocols, while sustaining its commitment to safety, on-time performance and passenger satisfaction. Olajide acknowledged that Air Peace would continue to optimise its internal processes and address delay factors within its control. However, she maintained that airlines cannot safely eliminate disruptions caused by severe airport congestion, inadequate infrastructure, sunset restrictions and adverse weather.
Air Peace has now formally urged the NCAA to review and audit its data collection methods to ensure that future reports accurately reflect airline traffic volumes, delay causes and the broader operational environment of Nigeria's aviation sector. For the African travel trade, the exchange serves as a valuable reminder that operational statistics rarely tell the whole story, and that credible dialogue between carriers and regulators remains essential to building the transparent, trusted aviation ecosystem the continent's travellers deserve.
