Air Peace has denied allegations made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole accusing the airline of extorting passengers and mismanaging flight operations.
In a statement signed by the management of Allen Onyema owned airline, released via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday, they described the former Edo State Governor’s claims as “deliberate falsehood” and challenged him to provide proof to support his allegations.
“The Senator lied blatantly when he accused Air Peace of extorting its passengers. We challenge Senator Oshiomole to bring one evidence of a passenger that was extorted,” the airline said.
The airline maintained that no extortion occurred during the said incident, stressing that tickets were not sold after the flight’s check-in had closed.
“None of our staff ever extorted any passenger. In fact, no ticket was sold after the closure of check-in on that flight. Everyone who flew bought their ticket prior to the flight closure,” the statement clarified.
Contrary to Oshiomhole’s assertion that the flight was overbooked, Air Peace revealed that the aircraft departed with more than thirty empty seats. It argued that it had nothing to gain by leaving any passenger behind, including the senator.
“Again, our flight was never overbooked as some of his videos alleged. In fact, the aircraft took off with over thirty (30) empty seats. It would have been in our interest to carry Oshiomhole and those others who missed their flights for lateness on this flight, instead of flying many empty seats; but we will never sacrifice our strict on-time performance for monetary gains,” the airline noted.
Air Peace also refuted claims that Senator Oshiomhole was offered preferential treatment or that he was advocating on behalf of other stranded passengers. According to the airline, he arrived late at the airport and began to cause disruption after being informed he had missed the flight.
“It’s absolutely false that he was offered preferential treatment and that he was fighting for others. Senator Oshiomole was not fighting for anyone. He came to the airport late and was told that he was late. He then began to forment trouble,” the statement read.
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The airline accused Oshiomhole of disruptive conduct, alleging that he obstructed operations by jumping on the baggage conveyor belt and blocking terminal access.
“He jumped on the baggage conveyor belt preventing the check-in process of other flights. He also barricaded the entrance gate and prevented access to the terminal. While he was doing all these, he also deliberately instigated other passengers against the Airline,” the statement alleged.
Air Peace has called on the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to release CCTV footage from the time the senator entered the airport to provide a clearer picture of the incident.
“His accusation of extortion is very defamatory. His conduct was very violent, unbecoming, unfortunate and above all, shameful,” the airline said.
