The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has convened an emergency meeting with thirteen domestic carriers in response to the increasing frequency of flight delays and cancellations impacting passengers nationwide.
Scheduled for Wednesday at the NCAA’s Abuja headquarters, the gathering was confirmed by the agency’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, in a post on his X account on Tuesday.
This regulatory action follows a surge in passenger grievances and a number of recent events involving disruptive behaviour at airports, a pattern the NCAA partly ascribes to inadequate airline compliance with aviation regulations.
Lately, aggressive acts have featured more noticeably in Nigerian airport occurrences, which have been triggered by various factors.
Whereas some disruptive incidents stem from a passenger’s lack of familiarity with aviation rules, others are due to carriers’ intentional attempts to bypass regulations and deny passengers their entitlements.
Achimugu revealed that the meeting will tackle several pressing matters, such as continual flight disruptions, passenger handling and welfare duties, outstanding refund and compensation claims, the enforcement of safety protocols like the instruction to switch off phones, safeguarding for cabin crew and NCAA staff, and the rollout of RFID baggage tracking and live flight monitoring systems.
This development follows the NCAA’s emphasis, just a day prior, that operators must adhere to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations, specifically Part 19. This section details carriers’ specific duties to passengers during disruptions, such as arranging hotel stays for those stranded between 10:00pm and 4:00am.
The regulator declared it is prepared to initiate a “naming and shaming” policy against airlines that persistently violate rules, especially those that delay or cancel flights without following correct procedures or supporting their passengers.
Achimugu observed that airlines often cancel flights late in the evening without making any provisions for passenger welfare, forcing NCAA consumer protection officers to deal with frustrated travellers. This, he said, exposes officials to unnecessary risk.
He issued a stern warning that the era of leniency is over, stating, “For infractions that are sanctionable, the Authority will apply the fullest measures possible. We will not abandon the letters of our regulations.”
Achimugu, however, reaffirmed that while the NCAA recognises the difficulties domestic airlines encounter, operators must still achieve the required standards if they aspire to be considered world-class.
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