The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing its investigation into Air Peace, despite attempts at intimidation.
In a statement released on Sunday, Ondaje Ijagwu, the FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, emphasized that the commission would act decisively in accordance with its regulatory mandate.
On December 1, the FCCPC had announced it was launching an inquiry into complaints of unfair practices within the aviation industry, including allegations of excessive fare hikes by Air Peace on certain domestic routes.
In response, Air Peace has strongly rejected the charges, calling the claims of exploitative pricing “unfair and harmful” to its reputation.
The airline has also dismissed the FCCPC’s accusations, labeling them as baseless and making several counterclaims. Nonetheless, the FCCPC remains steadfast in its determination to investigate the matter thoroughly.
“In the December 5 statement, the Commission restated that the inquiry was still ongoing, urging the public to be wary of manufactured news, since the report was not disseminated on the Commission’s official communication platforms.
“In a dramatic turn of events on Friday, Air Peace addressed a press conference in Lagos where it made several outlandish claims and innuendos obviously intended to whip up sentiments but conveniently avoided addressing the real issues.
“For instance, in asserting that only the aviation regulatory agency could inquire into its affairs, Air Peace only betrays a terribly poor understanding of both the legal and moral pillars of its operating environment.
“Passengers are consumers of its services. Their rights are inalienable and guaranteed under the FCCPA. It is the basis of FCCPC’ intervention.
“As stipulated in Section 17(e) of the FCCPA 2018, the FCCPC is mandated to carry out inquiries considered necessary or desirable in connection with any matter falling within the purview of the Act.
“Furthermore, Section 127(1)(a) empowers the FCCPC to ensure that pricing practices across all sectors, including aviation, are fair, competitive, and non-exploitative.
“Specifically, it states that no undertaking shall offer to supply, supply, or enter into an agreement to supply goods or services at a price or on terms that are manifestly unfair, unreasonable, or unjust.
“Pursuant to Section 148(3)(c) of the FCCPA 2018, the FCCPC, upon receipt of a consumer complaint, can direct an inspector to institute an inquiry and investigate the matter as quickly as practicable to determine whether the undertaking has acted inconsistently with the provisions of the Act.”
