Dare Babalola
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued a stern warning to airlines that cancel flights without providing hotel accommodation for stranded passengers.
This was issued in a statement via the X handle of the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the NCAA, Michael Achimugu on Monday, September 8.
According to the NCAA, airlines that keep passengers at the terminal until late hours before cancelling a flight are obligated to provide accommodation.
He stated, “If an airline has kept passengers at the terminal up to 00hrs before cancelling a flight, they OWE their passengers hotel accommodation. The regulations stipulate that passengers stranded between the hours of 2200 and 0400 be given accommodation.”
He condemned the practice of airline staff disappearing and leaving NCAA officials to handle frustrated passengers, stating that this will no longer be tolerated.
Furthermore, Achimugu said, “While one understands the challenges that operators face in our peculiar operating environment, whoever wilfully ventures into a business and wants to remain in it must do it well. We must not always choose the easy way out. Don’t you want to be called ‘world class’? Don’t you want to compete at the highest level? If not for the sake of the passengers who trust you to safely fly them, what about for your own pride?”
“You cannot expose NCAA officials to avoidable risk when all they do is support your business and protect your rights. For infractions that are sanctionable, the Authority will apply the fullest measures possible. We will not abandon the letters of our regulations.”
The statement further revealed that the Federal Government has directed the NCAA to begin naming and shaming erring airlines.
“The federal government has instructed that airlines be named and shamed by the NCAA. While we have done our best to advise per solutions to flight disruptions and why not nearly all cases are the fault of the airlines, the NCAA expects that operators must comply with the regulations in the event of a disruption. In compliance with the directives from the federal government and the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the naming and shaming will commence,” he concluded.
