NCAA plans to sanction more airlines over consumer complaints

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) reportedly plans to punish more airlines for breaking rules about passenger rights. This follows recent actions they’ve already taken against several airlines that hadn’t properly handled complaints or followed regulations.

According to The Punch, Michael Achimugu, who handles Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCA, made this known. He said: “More airlines are going to be sanctioned shortly for similar offences. It is with the legal department at the moment, waiting to proceed to the DG’s desk for signing.”

He clarified that the current announcements are just the beginning, saying: “What has been announced is not the sanction itself. It is the initiation of the enforcement action.”[admnager ad_id="desktop_1" placement="desktop" lazy="false"]

Achimugu then explained how the process works: “Now there’s a process to it. It’s my job to initiate these sanctions. Then we escalate it to the legal department. The legal department looks at it to ensure that we have no legal liability and that we are in order concerning the specific sanctions that I have listed, right? Then the DG will sign it. Now, it is when the DG signs it that it becomes an enforcement action.”

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Many airlines are already responding to the initial sanctions. “Royal Air Maroc, I have summoned them to come to the office. Air Peace, of course, you heard the chairman himself acknowledged and accepted the sanctions. Aero has called in to say that they have already treated seven of the 11 cases for which we are sanctioning them,” Achimugu shared.

“Ethiopian Airlines has written in to say that they have actually resolved cases for which we sanctioned them. However, I have asked them to send in their compliance report, which will show whether they resolved those cases before or after we announced those sanctions. Arik has also written in to say that their legal team is working on it.”

But Achimugu made it clear that airlines would still face consequences for any remaining problems: “Even for those who have said, ‘Look, we have resolved this number out of the entire list, it means that there are still some that are unresolved. They will still be sanctioned for those.”