NCAA pitches tent with passengers, tackles airlines over flight delays

• Sanctions await airlines 

Chris Najomo, acting director general, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), expressed displeasure at the alarming reports of incessant delays, flight disruptions, and schedule changes without adequate notice to passengers.

Najomo stated that the current record of flight disruptions, poor customer experience and poor handling of passengers is unacceptable, reiterating that airlines must improve their services as the minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo, is determined to enforce his five-point agenda as mandated by the president.

Speaking at a meeting with stakeholders in Abuja, he stated that airlines must rejig their flight schedule to match their number of serviceable aircraft and that airlines are all aware of the airports which have sunset operations.

“Must consider scheduling flights into sunset airports early in the day so as to minimise cancellations as a result of airport closure at sunset,” he said.

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.

He stated further that it ‘is no longer business as usual as errant airlines will be sanctioned appropriately without fear or favour’, noting that NCAA has stepped up its surveillance to monitor compliance with a view to fish out violators.

He emphasised that the Authority will not relent in its commitment to ensuring pleasurable travel experience and comfort for air transport passengers.

Michael Achimugu, director, consumer protection & public affairs, emphasised the importance of the meeting stating that the minister of aviation and aerospace development is focused on sanitising the aviation industry and that sanctions will be applied for any infractions or flight disruptions not managed properly.

Concerns raised by some airlines included poor airport facilities, the single standby generator at the General Aviation Terminal in Lagos, frequent bird strikes, bush burning in Port Harcourt, congested boarding gates, were addressed by the director of airport operations (FAAN) who informed that his agency had observed incidents of bird strikes occurred during grass cutting at the airports.

He stated that FAAN is working tirelessly to minimise bird strike incidents, adding that FAAN is also looking into issues that concern airport facilities with a view to finding immediate solutions to ease passenger and baggage flow.

A paper presented by Ifueko Abdulmalik, assistant general manager, 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 informed that 53 percent of total flights operated in Nigeria in 2023 were delayed and one percent cancelled. It was imperative to have the session so as to inform the airlines of the provisions of the regulations and applicable sanctions.