By our Reporter
The Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed the statutory authority of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate consumer complaints relating to airline ticket pricing, dismissing a suit filed by Air Peace Limited challenging the Commission’s powers.
In a judgment delivered on June 29, 2026, Justice B.F.M. Nyako held that the FCCPC acted within the powers granted to it under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), 2018, when it investigated complaints over alleged exploitative airfare pricing.
The court clarified that the Commission’s authority to investigate consumer complaints is distinct from the power to regulate prices, rejecting Air Peace’s argument that the FCCPC could only investigate airfare pricing after the President had invoked the price regulation provisions of the FCCPA.
The suit stemmed from the Commission’s request for information from Air Peace in January 2025 following widespread consumer complaints over significant increases in airfares on some domestic routes in December 2024.
Air Peace had sought declarations that the FCCPC lacked the legal authority to investigate the pricing of its airline tickets and requested an order permanently restraining the Commission from conducting such investigations.
However, Justice Nyako ruled that the Commission was acting within its statutory mandate under Sections 17, 32 and 33 of the FCCPA when it sought information from the airline in response to consumer complaints.
The judgment reinforces an earlier ruling delivered in April 2026 by Justice James Omotosho in a separate suit filed by Air Peace. In that case, the court also upheld the Commission’s authority to investigate consumer complaints and issue summons in the discharge of its statutory responsibilities, dismissing the airline’s objections as unreasonable.
The latest ruling is seen as a significant affirmation of the FCCPC’s consumer protection mandate, particularly its responsibility to investigate allegations of unfair or exploitative market practices while distinguishing such investigations from the legal power to regulate prices.
