The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has initiated action against five airlines ; comprising of two international and three domestic operators for violating Part 19 of the NCAA regulations .
According to NCAA, the violations include : nonpayment of refunds within the stipulated time frame, non-responsiveness to the NCAA’s directives, missing luggage, manhandled luggage, short-landed baggage, delayed and canceled flights, amongst others.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection (NCAA), Mr. Michael Achimugu disclosed the development today, Tuesday.
He said that although airlines are not always responsible for flight disruptions, NCAA regulations stipulate actions that airlines must take during disruptions, adding that failure to comply attracts various levels of sanctions.
Recall that NCAA recently warned that it will initiate sanctions if airlines fail to pay refunds within the stipulated time frame of 14 days for online ticket purchases and immediate cash refunds for tickets purchased by cash.
The incessant disruptions this yuletide has caused a surge in passengers’ complaints about delays and cancellations but Achimugu 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,” the director explained.
The director also assured that the authority will be summoning the CEOs of all airlines this week to a meeting over flight disruptions and regulatory regulatory breaches.
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