The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has initiated enforcement action against five airlines — two international and three domestic operators for various violations of Part 19 of the NCAA regulations including non-payment of refunds within the stipulated time frame.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection (NCAA), Mr. Michael Achimugu disclosed this while speaking to journalists at the corporate headquarters of the Authority in Abuja on Tuesday.
The sanctions also included non-responsiveness to the NCAA’s directives, missing luggage, manhandled luggage, short-landed baggage, delayed and canceled flights, amongst others.
While the agency did not disclosed the airlines sanctioned, sources disclosed that they are Ethiopian Airways, Royal Maroc Airways, Arik Air, Aero Contractors, and Air Peace.
Achimugu said that although airlines are not always responsible for flight disruptions, NCAA regulations stipulate actions that airlines must take during disruptions. Failure to comply attracts various levels of sanctions.
TheHintsNews reports that the agency recently warned that it would 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.
According to him, The incessant disruptions this yuletide has caused a surge in passengers’ complaints about delays and cancellations.
Achimugu defended the airlines for most of the cancellations, adding, “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.”
The director also assured that the agency would be summoning the CEOs of all airlines this week to a meeting over flight disruptions and regulatory regulatory breaches.