The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has clarified that the recent sanctions imposed on five airlines were due to consumer protection infractions, not safety concerns, as some media reports have suggested.
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Two weeks ago, the Authority’s Director of Consumer Protection and Public Affairs, Michael Achimugu, warned that airlines delaying the payment of refunds to passengers beyond the stipulated timeframe outlined in Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023 would face sanctions.
A week later, the regulatory agency announced enforcement action against Royal Air Maroc, Ethiopian Airways, Air Peace, Arik Air, and Aero Contractors for failing to comply with these consumer protection guidelines.
Additionally, the Acting Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, convened an emergency stakeholder meeting to address ongoing issues of flight delays and cancellations. He advised operators to scale their operations in line with their available aircraft and to prioritise resolving consumer complaints promptly.
Reacting to the sanctions, Allen Onyema, Chairman of Air Peace, admitted that some of his finance staff had delayed payments to passengers. He expressed dissatisfaction with this practice, emphasising that it went against his vision of prioritising passenger convenience. Onyema accepted the NCAA’s enforcement actions and pledged to improve the airline’s response time to complaints.
However, some media outlets speculated that the sanctions could be related to safety issues rather than consumer protection.
In response, Michael Achimugu clarified: “Even the DGCA publicly announced at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos the names of the airlines and the reasons for the enforcement actions.
“My department deals strictly with consumer protection issues, not technical matters. So why would anyone think I can sanction an airline for safety reasons?
“It is important to note that we do not sensationalise serious issues. The department protects both operators and passengers and will continue to act as an unbiased umpire,” Achimugu stated.
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