THE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has initiated punitive actions against some airlines for breaching various consumer protection regulations.
This was disclosed by the NCAA director of public affairs and consumer protection, Michael Achimugu, in a statement posted on his official X page, on Tuesday, December 24.
While Achimugu’s statement did not name the affected airlines, Leadership newspaper reported that Ethiopian Airways, Royal Maroc Airways, Arik Air, Aero Contractors, and Air Peace were among those facing sanctions.
According to the NCAA, the violations include issues such as short-landed baggage, delayed refunds, flight delays and cancellations, mishandling of baggage, and non-responsiveness to official communications.
The director noted that the cases had been escalated to the NCAA Legal Department for further action.
“Earlier today, I notified five airlines that the NCAA has initiated enforcement actions against the operators for violation of various consumer protection regulations (Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023).
“The violations include, but not limited to, short-landed baggage, delayed refunds, flight delays and cancellations, non-responsiveness to official communication from the authority, manhandled baggage, etc.
“I have now escalated our enforcement actions to the NCAA Legal Department for further action,” part of the statement read.
Achimugu emphasised the agency’s commitment to enforcing compliance with its 2023 consumer protection regulations while also noting that not all disruptions are faults of airlines
He stressed that the NCAA will continue to support airlines while also protecting the rights and responsibilities of air travellers.
“Recall that about a week ago, I announced that sanctions would be enforced for delayed refunds. I must commend the majority of Nigerian airlines for complying with the regulations since then.
“These enforcement actions exist to improve service in the industry, and the NCAA remains committed to protecting the rights of all stakeholders, including the airlines,” he stressed.
The ICIR reports that airlines operating in the country have faced increasing scrutiny over customer service standards, with recurring complaints from passengers about delayed flights, damaged baggage, and slow refunds.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M