The Federal Government has called for a meeting with airline CEOs to tackle the rising incidents of flight delays and cancellations during the festive period.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) announced the move, aimed at addressing passenger grievances.
Chris Najomo, the NCAA Director-General, cut short an important engagement to convene the emergency meeting scheduled for Friday, December 27.
Also, Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, disclosed this in a post on his X account on Thursday, December 26.
Sharing his personal experience with flight delays, he described the increasing frustration among passengers.
“I witnessed the situation firsthand this evening while trying to board a flight myself.
Passengers were extremely upset and even threatened violence,” he explained.
In response, Achimugu stepped in to help calm the situation.
“I spent about 20 minutes addressing the passengers, assuring them that I would verify with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) whether the weather conditions were genuinely unfavorable.
I also explained that airlines are not held responsible for force majeure events.
Nevertheless, I ensured the airline arranged transportation back to the Central area and covered accommodation for elderly passengers,” Achimugu stated.
He further noted that the airline agreed to offer passengers either a 50% rebate or a cash refund where applicable.
To improve the complaint process, he introduced the passengers to the NCAA’s QR code system for submitting grievances.
“I advised them to reach out to me if their issues were not resolved by tomorrow morning,” he stated.
This move signifies a heightened enforcement effort by the NCAA.
Achimugu remarked, “Just a few days ago, we initiated enforcement actions against five airlines.
This is the first time in over a decade that the Consumer Protection Department has taken such measures.”
Additionally, he shared his personal dedication to supporting passengers, including using his own salary to assist indigent travelers awaiting refunds from financially struggling airlines.
