Passengers to have seamless flight operations at Yuletide, says NCAA

Sade Williams/Business a.m.

Ahead of the yuletide, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has assured that flight operations will not be disrupted during the Yuletide period, promising that there would be seamless air operation throughout the season and beyond.

The assurance was made during a Road Show/Enlightenment Campaign to sensitise air customers on the appropriate process of laying complaints on issues of disruption, held at the Port Harcourt International Airport, by Consumer Protection Department of NCAA.

The NCAA also hinted that following the minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo’s signing of the Cape Town Convention Practice Direction and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, DDCA, that 10 more aircraft have been approved to come into the country to increase the capacity of fleets for air operations in the country.

Michael Achimugu, director, consumer protection and public affairs, NCAA, who led the team on the road show, said the organisation is keen on ensuring that air operations are not disrupted during the 2024 festive season and onward.

He noted that many travellers do not know that when their rights are violated or plans disrupted that they ought to report to the NCAA, stating that the sensitisation was to empower air passengers to know their rights and responsibilities.

He said: “We are now in the high travel season in the aviation sector and as you know there have been a lot of flight disruptions over the years and there have been a lot of complaints as regards to that.

“Our duty at the NCAA is to sensitize our passengers, because most of the times when complaints come about these disruptions it comes from the place of poor knowledge about their rights and responsibilities as air passengers.

“Our duty in the air consumer Protection Department of the NCAA is to protect both the passenger and the airlines as businesses. They are all our stakeholders. We cannot blame passengers for what they do not know. So we are creating mass awareness. It will continue throughout next year. A lot of persons do not know that if they have problems in air travel that the NCAA is the place to report”.

Achimugu stressed that there would not be disruptions this period, adding that more fleets are coming into the country to increase the capacity of air operations in the country.

He said: “There will not be disruptions this festive season, because of the Hon. Minister’s signing of the Cape Town Convention Practice Direction and my Directorate General of Civil Aviation, DDCA, Capt. Chris Najomo, more aircraft are coming into the country.

“Recently, there were 10 new aircraft in Nigeria, spread across airlines, Ibom Air, Air Peace, United Nigeria. This has ramped up the fleet in Nigeria, because we have always had capacity problem. But now, we have more planes. The disruptions are going to reduce.

“In the NCAA we are recording in the history of Nigeria the issue of Case resolution. Nigeria is one of the few countries in the whole world where airlines are made to pay 100% refund without charges.”