NCAA to sanction airlines that fail to pay refund within 14 days

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has said it will sanction airlines that fail to refund passengers within 14 days after flight cancellations or delays, especially when the request for refunds is made by affected passengers.

The authority said failure to comply with Part 19 of NCAA regulations will, henceforth, attract immediate sanctions.

Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), warned that airlines that fail to pay refunds within the stipulated time frame of 14 days of the NCAA regulations 2023 will be sanctioned.

Achimugu explained that he had spent an entire year engaging airlines, listening to their challenges, and partnering with them to give passengers a better travel experience.

He disclosed that while most airlines have been responsive, others have refused to comply with regulations on passengers’ rights, stressing that the relationship between operators and the regulator has worked better than in the past and this is good for passengers.

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“This is not hot air. The Consumer Protection Department of the NCAA has done a lot to sensitive passengers and the business of operators. The time has come for airlines to repay the good faith and support they have gotten from the regulator.”

“Our CPOs have received instructions not to chase down airlines to comply with the regulations. Every case of non-compliance will be met with adequate sanctions. Not a single airline will say that they have not been given a listening ear. The Authority has been balanced.”

“Apologies to passengers whose refunds have taken longer than necessary. It is not ideal. I am pursuing a review of the regulations to cut the timeframe to seven days. It is doable. Nigerian passengers deserve world-class service.”

Achimugu further stated that Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, and Chris Najomo, the Director-General of NCAA, have been very supportive of operators, especially domestic airlines, noting that this is well-captured in the Minister’s 5-point agenda and Capt. Najomo’s 2024 Action Plan (ease of doing business).

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.