Nigeria Airlines’ Manifest Shambolic Service Delivery

Poor service delivery by airlines in Nigeria has reached alarming levels, with indiscriminate rescheduling of flights being a major issue, writes WOLE SHADARE

 

Bad reputation

 

Virtually all the airlines in the country seem to be slugging it out for competition for the most egregious offender in flight rescheduling and poor service delivery. Very few offer a modicum of good service while majority of them do not care about the terrible service they deliver to their customers.

Air Peace was chided by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) recently for wearing the badge of dishonour when it comes to poor customer service. This has again directed focus to one area of air travel that has caused untold pain to travellers- flight delays/cancellations and general poor service.

Most indigenous airlines have begun to make their history of frequent delays and last-minute cancellations, leaving passengers stranded and frustrated.

Their persistent inability to adhere to schedules undermines their credibility, but also inflicts significant economic and personal harm on their customers.

 Huge economic costs

The economic cost of these disruptions is staggering. When flights are rescheduled or delayed, the time passengers spend waiting at airports is lost. For business travellers, this means missed meetings, delayed projects, and lost deals. This lost productivity translates into lower economic output, hindering business growth and economic development.

Passengers are increasingly expressing frustration with airlines due to various issues, including long delays, cancelled flights, and poor in-flight service.

These issues can cause significant disruption and inconvenience for travellers, leading to increased stress and anger. Passengers are increasingly seeking ways to voice their concerns and seek compensation for the appalling service delivery.

Helpless situation

Penultimate month, Nigeria’s aviation regulatory body, the NCAA, reported complaints against airlines surged in 2024 compared to the worrying figure of 2023. There are indications that the 2025 report that the NCAA is already putting together may be far worse than the report of 2024 in the areas of flight delays/cancellations and horrendous customer service.

Virtually all airlines are culpable with the exception of a very few airlines that are not called out all the time by NCAA and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) which is the highest federal competition regulator in Nigeria the way Air Peace is called out for alleged poor services and exploitative fares respectively by the two Federal Government agencies.

Knocks for Air Peace

Unable to cope with a deluge of complaints against the Nigeria’s flag carrier, the Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo last week Friday directed Air Peace to immediately improve its domestic operations owing to complaints of chronic flight delays and cancellations by the travelling public.

In a heated meeting with some management staff of the airline, Najomo strongly advised the airline to trim its operations to the size of available aircraft presently in its fleet to mitigate the crisis.

The airline representatives at the meeting acknowledged that it has some challenges that are not unusual in the industry, but they are working around the clock to fix them.

The DGCA asserted that, while the NCAA will continue to support the airlines, the operators must comply with the regulations and global best practices.

Capt. Najomo warned that the NCAA is increasing its monitoring of flight operations across all airlines to ensure compliance.

Defence

The carrier in its defence in a statement by its former spokesman, Dr. Ejike Ndiulo explained that these disruptions are largely due to safety considerations, emphasizing that the protection of human lives is its cardinal priority.

The airline assured its passengers that it will not compromise on safety, even if it means delaying or cancelling flights.

Ndiulo explained that the airline’s decisions to ground flights are often made due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather conditions, technical issues, or operational standards that fall short of safety protocols.

He further stated that one of the airline’s planes recently experienced a bird strike, resulting in damage to the engine, and was subsequently grounded.

The airline emphasized that its fleet size is not the cause of the delays and cancellations, but rather the unpredictable nature of aviation operations,

 Reduced capacity

Many of the country’s airlines are said to be operation with less than 50 per cent of their fleet. In summary, they operate less capacity of the equipment at their disposal and find it extremely difficult to maintain the same flight schedules because of dearth of airplanes.

While smart ones amongst them have shrunk their operations as a result of their depleting fleet, some others try to pull the wool over their passengers by pretending that they have the capacity to still continue with their original schedule. Something must give in. What is happening now is that they extend their departure time on a particular route because they expect airplane for that route to do other services; the reason an airline would delay passengers for as much as five to six hours without apology or offered refreshments as demanded by law.

In the past, some less busy airports used to receive four flights a day but now it has reduced to one. The load factor has been good in the past but not anymore because of shortage of aircraft by the operators.

Trust erosion

One of the most egregious aspects of poor airline service delivery in Nigeria is the almost total lack of compensation and accountability.

Unlike in many other countries, Nigerian airlines rarely offer adequate restitution for delays and cancellations and bad manners.

This lack of accountability erodes trust in the aviation sector and discourages travel, further impacting the economy.

Passengers feel powerless and disrespected when their grievances are ignored, leading to a pervasive sense of injustice.

Systemic failure

There are many instances where passengers have been delayed for more than eight hours. For instance, passengers on flights delayed for over 12 hours received no compensation or even a proper explanation. Such incidents are not isolated but rather symptomatic of a broader systemic failure within Nigeria’s aviation industry.

Experts who spoke to Aviation Metric are of the opinion that the persistent issue of poor service delivery by airlines points to significant regulatory and policy failures of many years until now.

To them, the NCAA, responsible for overseeing airline operations, has been largely ineffective in holding airlines accountable for their actions for a very long time, which they said has emboldened them to offer shambolic services to the chagrin of passengers and others who have followed the trend in the sector for a long time.

Stricter regulatory enforcement

There is a clear need for stricter enforcement of existing regulations and the introduction of more stringent policies to protect passengers’ rights.

Addressing this is to first of all strengthen regulatory oversight. The NCAA must enforce existing regulations rigorously and introduce new policies to protect passengers. This includes imposing hefty fines on airlines for delays and cancellations without just cause and mandating compensation for affected passengers.

Proactive GACA

In contrast, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Saudi Arabia issued 542 fines totaling SR18.8 million ($5 million) in 2024 for violations of civil aviation law, its regulations, and authority instructions, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The report detailed 111 violations by airlines for failing to adhere to instructions, including the advance passenger information system and time-slot compliance, resulting in fines of SR3.65 million. Nine other violations incurred fines of SR290,000.

Additionally, 305 violations related to passenger rights protection led to fines exceeding SR14.4 million. Licensed companies faced 17 violations for non-compliance with civil aviation regulations, amounting to fines of SR175,000.

Last line

The poor service delivery by Nigerian airlines, especially the indiscriminate rescheduling of flights, has dire consequences for the economy and passengers’ well-being. Regulatory bodies must step up their oversight and ensure that passengers are educated about their rights, and airlines improve their operational practices.

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