NCAA Warns Airlines Against Unnecessary Flight Delays, Threatens Sanctions
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned that the practice of airline staff abandoning passengers during flight delays and cancellations “will no longer be tolerated,” as it vowed to begin naming and shaming defaulting airlines.
In a strongly worded statement posted on his X handle on Monday, NCAA spokesperson, Michael Achimugu, said the authority would enforce strict compliance with aviation regulations, stressing that passengers stranded between 10:00 pm and 4:00 am due to cancellations or delays are entitled to hotel accommodation at the airline’s expense.
The NCAA said the decision, backed by directives from the Federal Government and the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, signals a tougher regulatory approach aimed at boosting accountability and protecting passenger welfare in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
The move comes amid rising incidents of airport violence linked to flight disruptions. While some unruly behaviours were caused by passengers’ ignorance of aviation rules, others, according to the NCAA, stemmed from airlines’ deliberate attempts to circumvent regulations and deny passengers their rights.
The authority condemned a growing trend in which airline staff allegedly disappear from terminals during disruptions, leaving NCAA Consumer Protection Officers to manage stranded and agitated passengers alone.
“The situation where airline staff intentionally disappear, leaving NCAA Consumer Protection Officers to handle justifiably irate and frustrated passengers will no longer be tolerated,” Achimugu warned.
While acknowledging the operational difficulties facing airlines in Nigeria, the NCAA maintained that such challenges do not excuse non-compliance with established rules.
“While one understands the challenges that operators face in our peculiar operating environment, whoever willfully ventures into a business and wants to remain in it must do it well.
“We must not always choose the easy way out. Don’t you want to be called ‘world class’? Don’t you want to compete at the highest level? If not for the sake of the passengers who trust you to safely fly them, what about for your own pride?” Achimugu added.
The NCAA also criticised the exposure of its staff to potentially dangerous situations, stressing that officials are only present to support both passengers and the airline industry.
“You cannot expose NCAA officials to avoidable risk when all they do is support your business and protect your rights,” he said.
To enforce compliance, the NCAA pledged strict adherence to its regulations and vowed not to hesitate in applying the full weight of the law in sanctionable cases.
“For infractions that are sanctionable, the Authority will apply the fullest measures possible. We will not abandon the letters of our regulations,” Achimugu declared.
He added that the latest action is in direct response to government directives, noting that the naming and shaming of non-compliant airlines would soon commence.
“In compliance with the directives from the Federal Government and the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the naming and shaming will commence.
“While we have done our best to advise per solutions to flight disruptions and why not nearly all cases are the fault of the airlines, the NCAA expects that operators must comply with the regulations in the event of a disruption,” the statement read.
NCAA Warns Airlines Against Unnecessary Flight Delays, Threatens Sanctions is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
