The management of Air Peace has refuted claims circulating on social media that the airline abandoned a passenger and closed its counter for its Monday flight from Gatwick to Lagos.
Mr. Stanley Olisa, the airline’s corporate communications lead, addressed the issue in a statement released Tuesday in Lagos.
Olisa clarified that the allegations stemmed from a video on social media alleging that Air Peace closed its counter before closing time due to overbooking on the London to Lagos flight, which he deemed false and misleading.
He described the video as malicious and an attempt to tarnish the airline’s reputation.
According to Olisa, the passenger arrived at the airport very late after the check-in phase was concluded, and the counter closed when the airport management approved.
He explained that Gatwick Airport operates based on slot timings allocated to each airline, and once a slot timing is up, the counters must be vacated for the next airline’s utilization.
To ensure passengers get their flights, Olisa mentioned that Air Peace sends multiple messages at different times before departure, and all processes adhere to the scheduled departure time.
He emphasized that contrary to the video’s claim, there was no overbooking on the flight, and the aircraft left Gatwick with some seats unoccupied.
Olisa assured that the issue was resolved at the airport, with the late arriving passenger duly paying the no-show fee and being booked to travel on a subsequent flight.
He expressed displeasure at the circulation of a different version of events on social media and reiterated Air Peace’s commitment to meeting the needs of passengers while requiring them to adhere to specified times for travel.
Meanwhile, Air Peace has commenced direct flights from Lagos to Abidjan in the Ivory Coast and Cotonou in the Benin Republic.
Olisa emphasized that adding the routes reflects Air Peace’s unwavering commitment to connecting diverse parts of Africa and fostering economic growth.
Air Peace has also introduced additional connections, including Abidjan-Dakar, Cotonou-Dakar, and Abidjan-Cotonou routes.
