Acting Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Chris Najomo, has frowned at what he called “the alarming reports” of flight delays, disruptions, and schedule changes without adequate notice to passengers.
Najomo reiterated the need for airlines to improve their services, saying, “it is no longer business as usual as errant airlines will be sanctioned appropriately without fear or favor”.
He noted that the NCAA had stepped up its surveillance to monitor compliance with a view to fish out violators.
Najomo stated that the current record of flight disruptions, poor customer experience and poor handling of passengers is unacceptable and must be improved upon.
A statement from the authority quoted the DGCA as speaking against the backdrop of recent delays and cancellations by airlines.
The DGCA stated that airlines must rejig their flight schedules to match their number of serviceable aircraft and that airlines are all aware of the airports which have sunset operations.
Hence, airlines “must consider scheduling flights into sunset airports early in the day so as to minimize cancellations as a result of airport closure at sunset.”
Najomo stressed that the NCAA will ensure that airlines fulfil their obligations to passengers or face sanctions.
“Airlines must handle persons with reduced mobility properly, with dignity and without discrimination as airlines are mandated to provide facilities for the movement of Persons with reduced mobility and by virtue of the provisions of Nigeria Civil aviation regulations part 19, airlines are required to provide on their ticket portal a mandatory field for special needs assistance and require their agents to actively ask customers during ticket purchase if they will require assistance” he reiterated.
The Director Consumer Protection & Public Affairs, Mr. Michael Achimugu, emphasized the importance of the meeting stating that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, is focused on sanitizing the aviation industry and that sanctions will be applied for any infraction or flight disruptions not managed properly.
A paper presented by Mrs. Ifueko Abdulmalik, AGM Flight Operations & Adjudication, on the provisions of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023 Part 19, dwelt on airline obligations to passengers in events of flight delays, cancellations, schedule changes, baggage delays and loss.
She disclosed that 53% of total flights operated in Nigeria in 2023 were delayed and 1% cancelled.
