The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says it has initiated enforcement actions against three Nigerian and two international airline operators for violating various consumer protection regulations.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Mr Michael Achimugu, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NCAA made this known on Tuesday.
Mr Achimugu, who made this known when he addressed newsmen in Abuja, stressed the NCAA has commenced enforcement action against the five airlines for various violations.
According to him, two international and three domestic operators, which he did not name, were involved in various violations of Part 19 of the NCAA regulations.
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, delays and canceled flights.
“Although airlines are not always responsible for flight disruptions, NCAA regulations stipulate actions they must take when these occur. Failure to comply attracts various levels of sanctions.
“The authority recently warned that it would initiate sanctions if airlines failed to pay refunds within the stipulated time frame of fourteen days for online ticket purchases and immediate cash refunds for tickets purchased by cash,” he said.
He, however, said that incessant disruptions during Yuletide had caused a surge in passengers’ complaints about delays and cancellations.
“We all know that this is harmattan season, so there is poor visibility. Flights must get cancelled. This is force majeure, and the airlines do not owe passengers anything in those instances.
“The enforcement we are initiating today is on cases where the airline is deemed to have been at fault. More will come,” the director explained.
He assured that NCAA would be summoning the Chief Executives Officers of all airlines soon to a meeting over flight disruptions and regulatory breaches.
“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.
“While insisting that not nearly all disruptions are the faults of airlines, the regulations are very clear about compliance issues.
“The NCAA will continue to support airlines while protecting the rights and responsibilities of air travellers.
“Recall that about a week ago, I announced that sanctions will 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,” Achimugu stated.