The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has confirmed that Air Peace Limited has consented to refund passengers affected by the diversion of a Jamaica-bound flight, which reportedly left travelers stranded in Barbados.
The confirmation was given on Friday by the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account.
Meanwhile, Air Peace has firmly denied the claims, dismissing reports that it sold tickets to Jamaica and abandoned passengers in Barbados as false and misleading.
Some of the affected passengers had claimed they purchased Air Peace tickets for a Lagos–Kingston, Jamaica flight, only to be informed at the airport that the airline would no longer fly directly to Jamaica but to Barbados instead.
The flight departed Lagos on December 21, 2025.
But in its explanation, a statement signed by its management on Monday, the airline said all tickets were sold in line with international airline sales practices and aviation regulations, insisting that it did not mislead passengers or engage in deceptive practices.
Air Peace explained that during pre-departure profiling and documentation checks at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, it was discovered that some passengers lacked the required transit visas to travel via Antigua to their final destinations, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago.
According to the airline, affected passengers were immediately offered full refunds, which some accepted, while others voluntarily requested rerouting through Barbados, noting that Nigerian passport holders do not require transit visas through Barbados.
“Based solely on this voluntary request, Air Peace facilitated the rerouting. In total, 42 passengers freely and expressly had their tickets rerouted through Barbados to their final destinations. No passenger was forced, coerced, or compelled to travel to Barbados,” the airline stated.
