By Fred Chukwuelobe
There is a growing pattern Nigerians must begin to pay attention to. Certain social media content creators now deliberately use Air Peace as a tool for outrage farming, engagement chasing, and content monetisation.
For some of them, the objective goes beyond complaints about service delivery. It is driven by resentment toward the continued rise and dominance of an indigenous airline owned by a Nigerian businessman on lucrative international routes many once considered untouchable.
Ironically, many of these same individuals still fly Air Peace regularly. Not because they suddenly admire the airline or its owner, but because Air Peace offers more affordable fares than British Airways and Virgin Atlantic on direct Nigeria-UK operations.
They benefit from the airline’s competitive pricing while simultaneously attempting to damage its reputation.
Take the curious case of DemoLa. He went on X claiming that his wedding plans were ruined because Air Peace “cancelled” his flight. The narrative was emotional, dramatic, and carefully crafted for virality. But it was incomplete and misleading.
The truth is that Air Peace had earlier adjusted and rescheduled some Abuja-London operations following the astronomical increase in Jet A-1 prices, reportedly rising by over 300 percent. In line with standard aviation procedures, affected passengers were informed well ahead of their departure dates.
In DemoLa’s case, he booked through a third-party travel agent. As every frequent traveller knows, when you purchase a ticket through an agent, all flight updates and operational communications are first transmitted through that agent. If the agent fails to relay the information to the passenger, responsibility cannot automatically and entirely be shifted to the airline.
Rather than clarify this fact, he rushed online to weaponise the situation for engagement, sympathy, and traction. Since his post went viral, many of us have repeatedly asked him to provide his PNR so the matter can be independently verified and assistance rendered if necessary. Silence. Absolute silence. Because he knows the complete facts do not support the outrage he manufactured.
What is worrying is not merely one content creator seeking relevance. It is the growing willingness of many Nigerians to amplify every negative narrative about Air Peace without scrutiny. There appears to be an organised enthusiasm whenever the airline is attacked, regardless of the facts.
We must ask ourselves difficult questions. Would the same energy be deployed against foreign airlines under similar circumstances? We have seen instances where Nigerians defended or softened criticism against airlines owned by foreigners. But when it comes to Air Peace, many are eager to pile on instantly.
Air Peace is not perfect. No airline in the world is. Delays, rescheduling, technical substitutions, and operational adjustments happen globally, especially within a difficult operating environment like Nigeria’s, where airlines contend with unstable forex, high aviation fuel costs, poor infrastructure, and multiple regulatory pressures. What matters most is whether safety and operational responsibility remain the priority.
To its credit, Air Peace has consistently maintained that it will never compromise safety simply to satisfy public pressure or social media sentiment. That principle should be applauded, not demonised.
This particular case involving DemoLa was never really about a cancelled flight. It became another opportunity to direct hostility at a Nigerian entrepreneur and his business.
Nigerians must learn to distinguish genuine consumer advocacy from calculated attempts to destroy indigenous enterprises for clout, politics, tribal resentment, or online engagement. The tendency to elevate foreign brands while relentlessly undermining local ones is unhealthy and counterproductive. It should not matter what ethnic group the owner of a Nigerian business comes from.
That is the real issue here.
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