The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has outlined its rationale for inviting the Nigerian airline, Air Peace, citing concerns regarding the airline's pricing strategy that has raised alarms among passengers.

Boladale Adeyinka, the Director of Surveillance and Investigation at the FCCPC, noted that the invitation was prompted by numerous customer complaints.

This statement was made in Abuja during a meeting where Dr. Allen Onyema, the Chairman of Air Peace, and his team responded to the commission's request.

The FCCPC acknowledged Air Peace's efforts in providing clarifications and assured that the matter would be reassessed.

Adeyunka said: “Thank you so much for honouring our invite in person. We have gained more insight into your operations. Just again to reiterate that it is not an investigation, it is an enquiry to understand and again, find out based on consumer complaints.

“Thank you also for bringing your expertise and insights to the industry, it is a good one for us, it is a good one for Nigerian consumers. This is our own, we are happy that you are doing well because if the consumers are saying that this is our aircraft, it means that ownership has moved from you to every Nigerian.

“We will review the situation and intervene where we can, not just for Air Peace customers but generally for all air passengers and other consumers of aviation services.”

Onyema observed that current airfares do not adequately reflect airline operational costs, noting that aviation pricing is globally determined.

“What happens abroad is far better but here, it is a different ball game. When you calculate all these costs, you will find out that when you fill your plane with passengers, you will still have not broken even, though 70 percent is given as the breakeven point because the fares are not just right.”