XEJet Limited has sued Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) and the Aviation Ground Handlers Association of Nigeria (AGHAN) over alleged breach of confidentiality and the publication of information concerning its outstanding ground-handling account.
The company also sued four media organisations over reports concerning an alleged N300 million debt.
XEJet filed the two suits at the high court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
In the suit against SAHCO, XEJet is challenging the alleged disclosure of information about its account to AGHAN and the subsequent withdrawal of ground-handling services.
The airline said it had a standard ground handling agreement with SAHCO, effective from January 1, 2026, covering services at airports in Lagos, Abuja, Benin, Asaba and Warri.
According to XEJet, the agreement requires the parties to keep confidential any information exchanged during negotiations and the provision of ground-handling services.
The airline said SAHCO requested payment of outstanding invoices in letters dated September 4 and 23, 2026.
It said the September 23 letter gave September 28 as the deadline for payment or a satisfactory payment arrangement.
XEJet alleged that SAHCO withdrew its ground-handling services at about 8am on September 28, before the deadline expired.
The airline said it paid SAHCO N7 million that day through two bank transfers and subsequently paid N208.898 million on September 29, bringing the total payment to N215.898 million.
XEJet alleged that later on September 28, AGHAN issued a statement directing its members to withdraw services from the airline, claiming that it owed its members about N300 million and had failed to honour payment plans. The statement was published by four media companies.
XEJet said AGHAN was not a party to its agreement with SAHCO and that it did not consent to the disclosure of information about its account.
The airline alleged that the information published by AGHAN could only have come from SAHCO’s invoices, statements of account and dealings with XEJet.
XEJet is asking the court to declare that the information concerning its account was confidential and that SAHCO was not entitled to disclose it to AGHAN or the press without its consent.
It is also seeking a declaration that SAHCO had no contractual right to suspend or withdraw ground-handling services for non-payment and that its withdrawal of the services on September 28 breached the agreement.
The airline is claiming N1 billion in general damages over the alleged breach of confidentiality and N100 million over the alleged wrongful withdrawal of ground-handling services.
In a separate suit, XEJet sued AGHAN and four newspapers over the publications concerning its alleged N300 million debt.
The airline described the publications as false, malicious and defamatory.
AGHAN had said it directed its members to withdraw services from XEJet because the airline had failed to meet its payment plans and owed its members about N300 million.
XEJet, however, said it owed no money to any other member of AGHAN apart from its account with SAHCO.
It said the SAHCO account stood at N215.898 million and was fully settled through payments made on September 28 and 29.
The airline also said it had not agreed to or defaulted on any payment plan and was still in discussions with SAHCO when the AGHAN statement was issued.
XEJet said the publications portrayed it as an airline that deliberately refused to pay its debts, failed to honour payment plans and was managed by “recalcitrant” persons.
It also alleged that the reports suggested it was insolvent, not creditworthy and unable to operate its flights.
The airline said the reports caused its creditors, aircraft lessors and business partners to contact its management for clarification about its financial position and operations.
XEJet is seeking N10 billion in general damages for libel and N5 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages.
It is also asking the court to order the defendants to publish a retraction and apology, remove the online publications and refrain from further publishing the statements complained of.
The airline is also claiming N50 million as costs of the action.
