The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) warned that it will begin to publicly name and embarrass airlines that do not comply with aviation regulations, particularly in cases of flight and delay cancellations.
The director of Public Affairs and the protection of consumers for the agency, Michael Achimugu, emphasized that passengers that are stranded between 10:00 pm and 4:00 am due to canceled or delayed flights are entitled to the hotel accommodation at the expense of the airline.
Achimugu, who declared this in his management X on Monday, said that the recent decision indicates a more assertive regulatory approach aimed at improving the responsibility and well -being of passengers in the Nigeria aviation sector.
He pointed out that the NCAA decision follows the protests and a series of airport violence derived from the periods of the airlines and the non -adherence to the regulations.
The authority has condemned a growing trend in which the airline staff disappears from the terminals during the interruptions, leaving the NCAA consumer protection officers to administer the agitated passengers alone.
“The situation in which the airline personnel disappears intentionally, leaving the NCAA consumer protection officers to manage the passengers justifiably furious and frustrated will no longer be tolerated,” the NCAA warned.
Although it recognizes the operational difficulties faced by airlines in Nigeria, the NCAA spokesman insisted that the challenges do not excuse the breach of aviation regulations.
Therefore, the authority criticized the presentation of its staff to potentially dangerous situations, emphasizing that NCAA officials are only present to support both passengers and the airline industry.
To enforce compliance, the NCAA promised strict adhesion to its regulations and reiterated that it would not hesitate to apply the total weight of the law in cases that justified the sanctions.
Achimugu said that this decisive action follows a directive of the federal government and the Minister of Aviation and Development Aerospace, Mr. Festus Keyamo.
As such, he said that the NCAA will now begin to name and embarrass the airlines in breach as part of their application strategy.
“While we have done everything possible to advise on solutions to flight interruptions and why not all cases are the fault of the airlines, the NCAA expects the operators to comply with the regulations in case of interruption,” Achimugu emphasized.
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