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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has summoned 13 domestic airlines to an emergency meeting following the increasing number of flight delays and cancellations affecting travelers nationwide.
The meeting, set for Wednesday at the NCAA headquarters in Abuja, was confirmed by the agency’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, via his X account on Tuesday.
The move comes in response to mounting complaints from passengers and rising incidents of unruly behavior at airports—problems the NCAA links to airlines’ poor compliance with aviation regulations. Some of these disruptions stem from passenger ignorance of the rules, while others result from deliberate airline actions to bypass regulations, thereby violating travelers’ rights.
According to Achimugu, the agenda will cover critical issues such as repeated delays and cancellations, passenger welfare and handling, unresolved refund and compensation claims, safety compliance (including phone switch-off rules), protection of staff and officials, and the adoption of RFID baggage tracking and real-time flight monitoring systems.
This action follows the NCAA’s recent reminder to airlines of their obligations under the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations—particularly Part 19, which requires carriers to provide accommodations for stranded passengers between 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. The Authority also vowed to begin “naming and shaming” operators that repeatedly flout these rules.
Achimugu criticized airlines for canceling flights late at night without offering welfare arrangements, leaving NCAA consumer protection officers to deal with frustrated passengers—often at personal risk. He stressed that the era of leniency is over, warning that violators will face the full force of sanctions.
While acknowledging the difficulties confronting domestic airlines, Achimugu maintained that operators must meet required standards if they aim to be considered world-class.
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