Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has indicted five carriers in the country for flight infractions. The regulator has initiated enforcement actions against the five airlines, comprising two international carriers and three domestic operators, for contravening provisions of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations.
The violations include non-payment of refunds within the stipulated timeframe, failure to adhere to NCAA directives, issues with missing and manhandled luggage, short-landed baggage, and persistent flight delays and cancellations.
The regulator has therefore summoned the carriers to explain issues raised by passengers and other stakeholders.
The management of the airlines is to appear before the leadership of the NCAA, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and other stakeholders on Friday.
Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of NCAA, Mr. Michael Achimugu, disclosed this to our correspondent in a telephone conversation.
Achimugu said the NCAA has started enforcement on various violations of Part 19 of the NCAA regulations, a decision he said aligns with the Authority’s commitment to upholding passenger rights and ensuring regulatory compliance within the aviation sector.
“Although airlines are not always responsible for flight disruptions, our regulations clearly outline the actions they must take when such disruptions occur. Failure to comply attracts varying levels of sanctions,” Mr. Achimugu explained.
He said the violations include nonpayment of refunds within the stipulated time frame, non-responsiveness to the NCAA’s directives, missing luggage, manhandled luggage, short-landed baggage, and delayed and cancelled flights, amongst others.
On why the NCAA was summoning domestic airlines, he said: “The meeting with the airlines will be held on Friday, and the Director General of NCAA, Capt Chris Najomo, will be there; the Managing Director of FAAN and other stakeholders will be at the meeting also. The meeting is to discuss incessant flight disruption and the reason FAAN MD and other stakeholders are coming is because of the roles their agencies play in air travel. We want them to know that we acknowledge that there are problems and then look for a way forward because we believe the aviation industry in Nigeria can be better.”
He also said though airlines are not always responsible for flight disruptions, NCAA regulations stipulate actions that airlines must take during disruptions.
He added that failure to comply attracts various levels of sanctions.
The Authority recently warned that it will initiate sanctions if airlines fail to pay refunds within the stipulated time frame of 14 for online ticket purchases and immediate cash refunds for tickets purchased by cash.
The incessant disruptions have caused a surge in passengers’ complaints about delays and cancellations.
“I have initiated enforcement action against five airlines for breaches of our regulation. In some cases, disruption happens, and the regulation stipulates what needs to be done. If the NCAA writes airlines to pay passengers and they refuse after the stipulated, then they should be sanctioned.
“We know that this is harmattan season, and there is poor visibility, which would lead to flight cancellation. This is force majeure, and the airlines do not owe passengers anything in those instances. The enforcement we are initiating is on cases where the airline is deemed to have been at fault,” he said.
Recent warnings from the NCAA had underscored the Authority’s intent to penalise airlines failing to refund passengers within the stipulated timelines – 14 days for online ticket purchases and immediate refunds for cash transactions.
While the agency refrained from naming the affected airlines, sources within the NCAA said the sanctions target Ethiopian Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Arik Air, Aero Contractors, and Air Peace.
