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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has taken disciplinary measures against five airlines, including two international and three domestic carriers, for breaching aviation regulations under Part 19 of its guidelines.
Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, announced the enforcement actions in a statement on Tuesday.
The airlines were penalized for a range of infractions, including failure to issue refunds within the mandated period, non-compliance with NCAA directives, mishandling of luggage, delayed or cancelled flights, and other customer service lapses.
Achimugu emphasized that while airlines are not always culpable for flight disruptions, the NCAA mandates specific responses to such incidents, and failure to adhere to these requirements attracts sanctions.
He further highlighted the authority’s stance on refund policies, reiterating that airlines must process refunds for online tickets within 14 days or provide immediate cash refunds for cash ticket purchases.
The ongoing holiday season has seen a surge in complaints from passengers about delays and cancellations.
Achimugu attributed most disruptions to harmattan-induced poor visibility, a force majeure event beyond the airlines’ control.
However, he clarified that the current sanctions target instances where airlines were found at fault, noting, “The enforcement we are initiating today is on cases where the airline is deemed to have been at fault. More will come.”
In response to the growing issues, the NCAA plans to summon airline CEOs for discussions this week to address regulatory violations and flight disruptions.