Air Peace and Dangerous Culture of Social Media Demarketing

Fred Chukwuelobe

In recent weeks, social media has been awash with videos attacking Air Peace, Nigeria’s foremost indigenous airline. Some of the videos openly call on Nigerians to boycott the airline, while others portray the carrier as incompetent, insensitive, or incapable of managing its operations.

Curiously, however, many of these viral videos tell only one side of the story.

A closer look reveals that some of the clips currently making the rounds are not even recent incidents. They are old videos recycled and repackaged to create the impression of an airline perpetually in crisis. Others involve high-profile personalities such as reality TV star Tacha and Nollywood actress Funke Akindele, whose public frustrations naturally attract widespread attention and emotional reactions online.

But beneath the outrage and sensational headlines lies a deeper question Nigerians must ask themselves: Are we being fair to Air Peace?

The aviation industry globally is currently passing through a period of significant operational strain, and Nigeria is not insulated from these realities. The persistent scarcity and astronomical cost of Jet A-1 aviation fuel continue to exert enormous pressure on airline operators. The ongoing Middle East tensions have further worsened global supply uncertainties, driving operating costs to unprecedented levels.

Already, Rano Air has temporarily suspended some of its flight routes, citing an increase of over 300 per cent in the cost of Jet A-1 fuel. Such developments naturally impact airline scheduling, route management, and operational stability across the sector.

In addition to this are rising incidents of bird strikes, adverse weather conditions, mandatory technical safety checks, airport congestion, and regulatory bottlenecks — all of which can disrupt flight operations anywhere in the world. Even the biggest and most sophisticated international airlines suffer delays and cancellations under similar conditions.

Yet whenever such situations occur in Nigeria, especially involving Air Peace, social media instantly transforms into a firing squad.

This is not to suggest that passengers do not have legitimate grievances. They certainly do. Anyone whose flight is delayed or cancelled has every right to feel disappointed, angry, and inconvenienced. Missed appointments, disrupted business schedules, abandoned family events, and financial losses can be deeply frustrating.

However, there is a clear difference between expressing genuine frustration and orchestrating a public lynching.

What is increasingly disturbing is the growing tendency of some passengers to immediately switch on their phones, record emotionally charged videos, and upload them online — often before seeking proper clarification about the circumstances surrounding the disruption. In many cases, the objective appears less about informing the public and more about provoking outrage, generating engagement, and amplifying negative perception.

The danger is that repeated sensationalism can gradually erode public confidence in indigenous institutions, especially one as strategically important as Air Peace.

It is important to remember that Air Peace is not merely another private business enterprise. Over the years, the airline has evolved into a strong symbol of indigenous capacity in an industry historically dominated by foreign operators. It has created thousands of direct and indirect jobs, expanded local and international connectivity, opened routes previously underserved by foreign airlines, and projected Nigerian enterprise beyond the country’s borders.

That is why the recent pattern raises uncomfortable but necessary questions.

Why are old videos being recycled as though they are fresh incidents? Why does every operational challenge involving Air Peace immediately become a national social media spectacle? Why do some online commentators appear more interested in damaging the airline’s reputation than demanding balanced accountability? Could there be deliberate efforts to demarket the airline or weaken its competitive standing?

These questions deserve serious interrogation. In today’s digital age, perception can easily become reality. A sustained stream of negative content — whether organic or coordinated — can inflict enormous reputational and financial damage on any institution. Airlines are particularly vulnerable because public confidence is central to their survival.

This is why Air Peace must continue strengthening not only its operational efficiency and passenger communication systems, but also its strategic communication architecture, with the capacity to respond swiftly and effectively to misinformation, half-truths, and orchestrated online narratives. To its credit, the airline has increasingly demonstrated a proactive rather than reactive communication approach, although the purveyors of misinformation appear relentless in their campaign.

The media also has a responsibility here. Journalism must rise above social media hysteria. Every story has two sides, and fairness demands that all perspectives be properly interrogated before conclusions are reached.

At a time when indigenous businesses are struggling under harsh economic realities, Nigerians must be careful not to become willing participants in the destruction of one of the country’s most visible corporate brands.

Criticism is necessary in every democracy. Accountability is important. Passenger welfare must never be compromised. But fairness is equally important.

For context, Rano Air, with a much smaller fleet, has already scaled back some of its routes because of operational realities. If Air Peace, which operates the largest fleet in the country, were forced into similar large-scale cutbacks, the repercussions for Nigerian travellers, connectivity, and the aviation industry would be far more severe.

Despite the immense pressures confronting the sector, Air Peace continues to make significant sacrifices to sustain operations and minimise disruptions as much as possible.

That effort, at the very least, deserves fairness and balance in public discourse.

• Chukwuelobe is a Lagos-based journalist/public affairs analyst