Industry regulator, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has expressed its resolve to get to the bottom of the recurring luggage issues that have cropped up with Turkish Airlines, leading to certain breach of passengers’ rights.
Following this resolve, a letter issued by the NCAA, handled by the body’s Directorate of Consumer Protection (DCP) was sent to Turkish Airline on Monday the 7th of January, 2016 giving the Eastern European carrier 7 days to respond to the issues surrounding the incessant passengers’ missing luggage.
Sam Adurogboye, NCAA spokesman, who spoke with our reporter on the latest breach of passengers rights said the letter was a requirement of law so that the airline can give explanations on what transpired.
“We have written them a letter of Investigation as required by law to give explanations on some issues that cropped up. They have 7 days to respond. That is where we stand,” he said.
He, however, said that the passengers needed to be educated also on their responsibilities so as not to go against the law as well.
“There is a need to put an end to this trend of leaving passengers’ luggage behind but the passengers too have to be educated on their responsibilities. You have to exhaust all available channels of redress and if not satisfied, then you can report to the NCAA.”
“It is a passenger flight not a cargo flight. So expecting all their cargo to arrive on the same flight is an issue we should look at again,” he explained.
It will be recalled that Turkish Airline, on Saturday 9th January 2016, for the second time airlifted passengers into Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja without bringing in the luggage of its paying customers.
The airline had arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja at about 12.35am without its passengers’ luggage, violating the rights of those that flew them.
Meanwhile, the airline last week finished paying numerous compensations to passengers whose rights were abused due to the airline’s delay of their luggage on the infamous December 27, 2015 Flight TK 624 scheduled service from Istanbul to Abuja.
It was gathered that due to the intervention of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), some of the aggrieved passengers after collecting their luggage which came on a charter from Istanbul, Turkey were paid monetary compensation, the highest of which was N80 thousand.
It was gathered that while the airline paid N8thousand to some passengers, some others received N10thousand N20, 000 (Twenty thousand naira), depending on the level of infraction.
The Airline under the supervision of the Consumer Protection Officers (CPO) of the Regulatory Authority ensured that all the passengers were paid full monetary compensation as contained in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs).”
In addition, a cargo flight and an Airbus were arranged to freight to Abuja.
