NCAA sanctions five airlines over regulatory violations

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) announced on Tuesday that it has commenced enforcement actions against five airlines for violations of various consumer protection regulations.p

The development was disclosed by the NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, in a statement posted on his official X page on Tuesday.

“Earlier today, I notified five airlines that the NCAA has initiated enforcement actions against the operators for violation of various consumer protection regulations (Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023),” the statement said.

The official stated that the airlines were sanctioned for multiple violations, including short-landed baggage, delayed refunds, flight delays and cancellations, a lack of responsiveness to official communications from the authority, and mishandled baggage.

Meanwhile, Mr Achimugu did not disclose the names of the sanctioned airlines.

However, the Leadership newspaper reported that the affected airlines are Ethiopian Airways, Royal Maroc Airways, Arik Air, Aero Contractors, and Air Peace.

The move to sanction the airlines occurred three weeks after the NCAA warned that it would sanction airlines following a surge in passenger complaints.

On Tuesday, Mr Achimugu said the action against the airlines had been escalated to the NCAA Legal Department for further action.

“While insisting that not nearly all disruptions are the faults of airlines, the regulations are very clear about compliance issues,” he said.

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The statement said the NCAA will continue to support airlines while protecting the rights and responsibilities of air travellers.

“These enforcement actions exist to improve service in the industry, and the NCAA remains committed to protecting the rights of all stakeholders, including the airlines,” the agency said.