NCAA, stakeholders seek solution to flight delays, cancellations
Aviation regulatory body, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has condemned incessant flight delays and cancellations that had plagued the nation’s aviation industry.
Nigerian airlines have in the past months lost huge revenues as a result of avoidable incessant flight delays and cancellations caused by so many factors.
Aside poor infrastructure, logistics of fuel supply and weather, most of the airlines engage in delays or cancellations because of shortage of airplanes and poor route network.
Most times when flights are delayed or cancelled, the airlines shirk their responsibility to compensate their passengers as enshrined in civil aviation regulation.
This declaration was made at stakeholder’s forum organised by the authority at the NCAA annex, Ikeja Lagos.
The forum was attended by 13 International airlines, eight domestic airlines, and airport operators – the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Bi-Courtney Aviation Services.
During the discussions, officials of the NCAA requested the airlines operators to enumerate their challenges that could be the likely causes of delays and cancellations.
In response, the airlines itemised various challenges amongst which are fuel supply, upgrade of infrastructure at the airport, activities of unruly passengers and traffic along airport road among others.
The management of the NCAA and FAAN in their response assured the operators that all these challenges will be tackled very soon.
Part of their resolutions are that airlines should be realistic in their flight planning/schedules, disseminate on time information to passengers on flight status, ensure they provide right to care to passengers in terms of delays/cancellations in line with the Nig. CARs 2015 Part 19.
They also tasked airlines to ensure they provide right to care to passengers in times of delays/cancellations in line with the Nig. CARs 2015 Part 19, just as NCAA/FAAN to liaise with Federal Minister of Aviation to replace fuel hydrants if the old ones will cost a lot of money to be fixed and the supply points should be connected to the airports.
FAAN was tasked to ensure facilities at the airports are functional (lightings, carousels, cooling systems etc), liaise with PPMC on fixing the underground pipeline layout from Apapa to Lagos airport to minimize surface transportation of fuel, FAAN should beef up security at the airports to prevent unlawful interference.
Airlines’ representatives were advised to be available to testify whenever cases of unruly passengers are referred to the Nigeria Police Force; ensure that action is expedited on the upgrade of lighting of runway 18/36R at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
Carriers and airport operators were asked to maintain constant communication Airlines and airport operators should maintain constant Communication, request for re-imbursement of expenses incurred from third parties/service providers with whom they signed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) as stipulated by the Nig. CARs Part 19.
Other recommendations are for FAAN to ensure that the CCTV cameras are always operational; airlines’ inputs should be considered in the design/construction of airports to avoid a repeat of the mistakes of the past among others.
To reduce delay and incessant flight cancellations, domestic airlines/operators were encouraged to enter into interlining arrangements.
Against this backdrop, all airlines were warned to always adhere to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs 2015) and Passengers Bill of Rights in their dealings with passengers, adding that passengers must get value for their money
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