The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has threatened to sanction Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc and Saudi Air for failing to comply with its directives and determinations on passenger complaints.
Michael Achimugu, spokesman for the Authority, who posted this on his verified X handle @mikeachimugu01 on Friday, detailed infractions committed by the airlines.
He said: ‘The airline @qatarairways has carried on as though Nigerian passengers and the NCAA are not deserving of their respect, dignified treatment, and compliance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023. This will be brought to a stop immediately.’
According to him, a member of Qatar Airways cabin crew had claimed that, while she was wheeling a passenger during boarding for a flight from Lagos to the United States via Doha, a male passenger who was travelling with his wife had touched her butt.
Achimugu said she did not report this incident in Lagos, but on arrival in Doha, she made an allegation against this passenger, leading to his arrest and detention for about eighteen hours.
“During the period, his wife suffered mental, physical, and psychological trauma without any form of care. She wondered how her husband could have committed such a despicable infraction, given that she was with him throughout the boarding process.
“The authorities in Doha made the man pay a hefty fine and forced him to sign a document written only in Arabic! Desperate for freedom to proceed on his journey to the US, the passenger signed a document which contents he did not understand.”, he said
Achimugu said that despite this, the airline refused to fly him to his final destination, as he had to buy tickets on another airline and proceed at great financial and reputational cost.
“Upon invitation by the NCAA, the airline’s country manager, who has a penchant for evading meetings with the NCAA, only sent his subordinates to attend. However, the NCAA decided on that matter along with others.
“As has become typical of @qatarairways, they failed to comply with all determinations made from that meeting. They have also failed to treat subsequent complaints from other passengers escalated to them by the CAA, including a total silence upon receipt of a Letter of Investigation (LOI) sent to them by the NCAA.”, he added.
Achimugu, who said this behaviour stops now, expressed dismay that some countries do not have advanced aviation consumer protection regulations like Nigeria does, adding that in certain cases, some countries don’t even have any.
“This creates a situation where airlines operating out of those countries (mostly national carriers) act with disdain towards consumer protection enforcement in Nigeria.
“This is not a situation that we would accept here. It is against the law for any airline not to respond to the NCAA. It is against the law to provide false information to the NCAA. It is against the law to fail to comply with the provisions of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
“When BASAs are signed, they must be respected by both parties. Every airline is expected to, upon approval to operate in Nigeria, understand and comply with consumer protection regulations. To continue to treat our laws with contempt while respecting regulations across Europe and elsewhere is not ideal and must be brought to a complete and final stop.
“This department protects the airlines as much as it protects passengers. The DGCA, Captain Chris Najomo, has never minced words about his position on consumer protection issues, and we will apply appropriate and stiff penalties against the airlines that, in perpetuity, fail to comply.”, he added.
Achimugu said Royal Air Maroc and Saudi Air have also been properly advised about certain infractions, adding that failing to comply with the determinations of the CAA, they will be heavily sanctioned.
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