No fewer than 25 passengers bound for Jamaica were left stranded in Barbados following the diversion of an Air Peace flight, with some alleging they were detained and later deported by Barbadian immigration authorities.

The incident, which occurred on 21 December, has drawn criticism from affected travellers, though Air Peace Limited has strongly rejected claims that it misled passengers or abandoned them.

Some of the passengers alleged that they had purchased tickets for a Lagos–Kingston flight, only to be informed at the airport that the airline would no longer fly directly to Jamaica but to Barbados instead.

One passenger alleged, “When check-in commenced around 1 a.m. on Sunday, December 21, all Jamaican-bound passengers, including myself, were coerced into changing our tickets from Lagos–Kingston to Lagos–Barbados. Despite holding a valid Jamaican visa, I was forced to travel to a country with which I had no prior connection or arrangements. When I attempted to resist this sudden change of destination, I was threatened with a no-refund policy, leaving me with little choice.”

Passengers further claimed that upon arrival in Barbados, they were left at the airport, detained for nearly 24 hours without food or water, and subsequently deported. Efforts to reach the airline for assistance, they said, were unsuccessful.

Reacting to the development, a spokesperson for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, said the matter had not yet been formally reported to the authority. He added that Consumer Protection Officers in Lagos had been directed to investigate and provide a report.

Air Peace, however, issued a statement on Monday refuting the allegations. The airline said all tickets were sold in line with international aviation regulations and insisted that no passenger was misled.
The airline explained that during pre-departure checks at Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), it was discovered that some passengers lacked the required transit visas to travel via Antigua to destinations including Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

According to the airline, affected passengers were offered full refunds, while others voluntarily requested rerouting through Barbados, where Nigerian passport holders do not require transit visas.

“Based solely on this voluntary request, Air Peace facilitated the rerouting. In total, 42 passengers freely and expressly had their tickets rerouted through Barbados to their final destinations. No passenger was forced, coerced, or compelled to travel to Barbados,” the airline stated.

Air Peace attributed the difficulties in Barbados to operational delays, which caused passengers to miss connections onwards. It said carriers scheduled to operate the onward flights declined to honour the tickets, leaving some stranded.

The airline also cited concerns raised by Barbadian immigration authorities, including a lack of confirmed hotel accommodation, declined credit card transactions, and inconsistencies in return travel dates.

“67 passengers from the same group were granted entry and allowed to continue their journeys, while 25 were denied entry based on the concerns raised,” the statement added.

Reiterating its position, Air Peace said it acted responsibly by offering refunds, facilitating voluntary rerouting, providing assistance on the ground, and ensuring the safe return of affected passengers.