Ethiopian Airlines, Air Maroc, Air Peace, Aero, Arik face NCAA’s sanctions

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has initiated enforcement action against five airlines (two international and three domestic operators).

They are to be sanctioned for various violations of Part 19 of the NCAA regulations including nonpayment of refunds within the stipulated time frame, non-responsiveness to the NCAA’s directives, missing luggage, manhandled luggage, short-landed baggage, delayed and cancelled flights, amongst others.

The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection (NCAA), Mr. Michael Achimugu disclosed on Tuesday.

He said that although airlines are not always responsible for flight disruptions, NCAA regulations stipulate actions that airlines must take during disruptions, stressing that failure to comply attracts various levels of sanctions.

Recall that the authority recently warned that it will initiate sanctions if airlines fail to pay refunds within the stipulated time frame of fourteen days for online ticket purchases and immediate cash refunds for tickets purchased by cash.

The incessant disruptions this yuletide he said has caused a surge in passengers’ complaints about delays and cancellations. He however defended the airlines for most of the 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,” he said.

Achimugu also assured that the Authority will be summoning the CEOs of all airlines this week to a meeting over flight disruptions and regulatory breaches.

While Achimugu did not disclose the airlines whose sanctions he signed today, sources close to the authority disclosed that they are Ethiopian Airways, Royal Maroc Airways, Arik Air, Aero Contractors, and Air Peace.

Penultimate week, the NCAA said it was ready to wield the big stick by sanctioning erring airlines that have frustrated travellers over their inability to make a refund for cancelled or delayed flights that span more than five hours.

The carrier particularly called out Air Peace for failure to comply with Part 19 of NCAA regulations will, henceforth, attract immediate sanctions.

Travellers consequently feel frustrated as they do not know how to seek redress in case of violations of consumer rights which has assumed a dangerous dimension in the aviation sector.

Achimugu warned that airlines that fail to pay refunds within the stipulated time frame of 14 days of the NCAA regulations 2023 will be sanctioned.

He explained that he had spent an entire year engaging airlines, listening to their challenges, and partnering with them to give passengers a better travel experience.

He added that while most airlines have been responsive, others have refused to comply with regulations on passengers’ rights, stressing that the relationship between operators and the regulator has worked better than in the past and this is good for passengers.

He chided Air Peace in particular for the delay in refunding passengers, just as he directed the airline to make a refund to passengers, saying 14 days had long elapsed.

His words, “This is not hot air. The Consumer Protection Department of the NCAA has done a lot to sensitive passengers and the business of operators. The time has come for airlines to repay the good faith and support they have gotten from the regulator.”

Wole Shadare