Dare Babalola
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has vowed to sanction domestic airlines that violate the 14-day ticket refund deadline.
The NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, made the known in a statement via X on Monday.
He also warned the airlines to stop informing passengers that ticket refunds take four weeks, saying such claims conflict with the regulator’s rules.
The agency urged passengers who received four-week refund promises to forward the communications to NCAA officials for investigation
He wrote, “Domestic airlines NEED to stop telling passengers that their refund process takes 4 weeks. There can’t be two captains-in-command on an aircraft.
“The NCAA regulations are clear about the timeframe for ticket refunds, and it is 14 days. Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023 remains in force. Operators cannot create a different rule in this regard.
“To all passengers: if you apply for a refund and an airline tells you that it would take 4 weeks, kindly forward that communication to michael.achimugu@ncaa.gov.ng ifueko.abdulmalik@ncaa.gov.ng cpd@ncaa.gov.ng immediately.”
He added, “We cannot all claim to be working for the improvement of the industry and be duplicating rules in a manner that undermines the Authority and is unfair to passengers.”
The reminder comes amid mounting passenger complaints about delayed refunds following cancellations and disruptions.
The NCAA has, in recent months, said it would sanction airlines that fail to process refunds within the timeframe set out in its regulations, describing timely refunds as a “low-hanging fruit” that airlines should prioritise.
