Airlines flying passengers into Nigeria face more than the commercial and operational demands of international travel. When a passenger is refused entry, carriers can be required to arrange the person’s removal and may also be held financially responsible for expenses incurred by immigration authorities in handling the case.
The exposure, rooted in Nigeria’s Immigration Act 2015, has come under renewed scrutiny following a call by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for governments and airlines to share responsibility more fairly when passengers are denied entry at their destinations.
In a statement issued recently, IATA said airlines can face removal costs, fines and operational disruption even when the circumstances behind a passenger’s refusal are beyond the carrier’s control.
The issue highlights a growing operational challenge for international airlines: carriers must verify passengers’ travel documents and assess destination-entry requirements, but the final decision on whether an individual is admissible rests with government authorities.
Under Section 27 of Nigeria’s Immigration Act 2015, where an arriving passenger is refused entry for any reason, an immigration officer may direct the captain of the aircraft that brought the passenger into the country, or the aircraft’s owners or agents, to arrange for the passenger’s removal.
The passenger may be returned on the aircraft that brought them into Nigeria or transported to another country specified by the immigration authorities. Such a country may be the passenger’s country of citizenship, the country from which the passenger obtained their identity documents, the country from which they travelled to Nigeria, or another country where they are likely to be admitted.
The financial implications extend beyond the cost of arranging a return flight.
Section 54 of the Act provides that where a prohibited immigrant disembarks from an aircraft in Nigeria, the aircraft’s master, owner, operator and agent are jointly and severally liable for expenses incurred by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in connection with the passenger’s transport, maintenance and deportation.
The law also provides for the recovery of those expenses through an action brought in the name of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Importantly, the provision does not prescribe a fixed charge for every passenger refused entry. Rather, it addresses expenses incurred by the NIS in connection with the transport, maintenance and deportation of a prohibited immigrant who disembarks in Nigeria.
Airlines under pressure over document checks
The responsibility does not apply only to foreign passengers arriving in Nigeria. Nigerian airlines and other carriers operating international routes must also ensure that passengers travelling out of the country understand and meet the entry requirements of their destinations.
In an announcement reported on April 3, 2025, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) warned airlines about their responsibility to inform passengers of potential admissibility problems and travel restrictions before departure.
The regulator referred to Part 19 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023 and warned that airlines could face regulatory action, including fines or suspension of operations, for failing to meet their obligations.
The warning followed complaints involving Nigerians who had been carried to intermediate or transit points before being refused entry or boarding because of visa or other travel restrictions.
The cases underline the financial and reputational risks of inadequate pre-departure checks. Passengers stranded at transit points can face additional travel costs and disruption, while airlines may be exposed to complaints, regulatory scrutiny and the expense of resolving the cases.
For carriers, the challenge is to establish whether passengers possess the required travel documents and satisfy the applicable entry conditions before boarding, while recognising that possession of apparently valid documents does not guarantee admission by the destination country.
Technology becomes central to admissibility checks
Internationally, airlines rely on travel-document information services and government data systems to support passenger screening and reduce the likelihood of inadmissible travellers being carried across borders.
IATA describes Advance Passenger Information (API) as the collection and transmission of passenger identity and travel-document information to government authorities.
Interactive Advance Passenger Information (iAPI) goes further by allowing governments to send airlines electronic responses based on checks against their entry requirements. Such responses can help carriers identify potential admissibility problems before passengers board.
IATA also identifies its Timatic service as a source of passport, visa and other travel requirements used to support document verification.
Industry analysts believe these systems can help airlines navigate complex and frequently changing immigration rules across international destinations. They do not, however, remove the possibility of a passenger being refused entry after arrival, nor do they transfer the final admissibility decision from governments to carriers.
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