Nollywood star Funke Akindele leads public outcry after travelers, including elderly passengers, spend hours without food, shelter, or answers at London airport
West Africa’s largest airline, Air Peace, has faced a torrent of criticism on X (formerly Twitter) after passengers were left stranded at London Gatwick Airport for hours with little to no communication from the carrier.
The storm broke when popular Nollywood actress Funke Akindele took to X to publicly call out the airline, revealing that travelers had been stuck at the airport since 6:30am following what the airline attributed to a bird strike. Despite promises of hotel accommodation, passengers — including elderly individuals and families — were still seated at the baggage claim area hours later, hungry and without access to their luggage.
“Elderly passengers are struggling. Families are tired. No clear updates. No support,” Akindele wrote, demanding the airline release passengers’ bags and honor its promise of hotel lodging.
Air Peace responded with an apology, acknowledging the inconvenience and assuring the public that its team was working to provide assistance. The airline cited safety priorities and factors beyond its control as reasons for the disruption.
However, the response did little to quell the anger. Other passengers and observers piled on across social media. One user, Olamide, alleged that a Lagos-to-Gatwick flight was also cancelled under the same bird strike explanation, suggesting the excuse was being used to cover for underbooked flights. Another traveler, Setin Hunkokoe, slammed the airline’s overall service quality, vowing never to fly with it again.
Perhaps the sharpest rebuke came from a user identified as FCA, who challenged the airline to move beyond repeated apologies: “At least communicate and take care of your customers. It is not hard!”
The incident has reignited debate about customer service standards among African carriers as Air Peace continues its push to dominate regional and international routes.
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