The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has invited all domestic airlines to a meeting in Abuja over recent flight disruptions.
The meeting will be held Wednesday at the NCAA headquarters.
The Director of Public Relations and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu confirmed this on his verified X handle earlier Tuesday.
On Monday the regulatory authority threatened to name and shame airlines which are in the habit of delaying and canceling flights without taking care of the passengers’ welfare as stipulated in Part 19 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations.
Other issues to be deliberated on include “ Unruly passenger behaviour and passenger handling protocols; Unresolved refund/compensation issues; Introduction of RFID bagtags and flight monitoring technology; Enforcement of phone switch-off instruction and protection for cabin crew as well as Improved travel experience for passengers.
Achimugu wrote, “The NCAA has invited all domestic airlines to a meeting in Abuja slated for tomorrow, Wednesday.”
“The regulations stipulate that passengers stranded between the hours of 2200 and 0400 be given accommodation.
“The situation where airline staff intentionally disappear, leaving NCAA Consumer Protection Officers to handle justifiably irate and frustrated passengers will no longer be tolerated.
“While one understands the challenges that operators face in our peculiar operating environment, whoever willfully ventures into a business and wants to remain in it must do it well.
“We must not always choose the easy way out. Don’t you want to be called “world class”? Don’t you want to compete at the highest level? If not for the sake of the passengers who trust you to safely fly them, what about for your own pride?
“For infractions that are sanctionable, the Authority will apply the fullest measures possible. We will not abandon the letters of our regulations.
“The federal government has instructed that airlines be named and shamed by the NCAA. While we have done our best to advise per solutions to flight disruptions and why not nearly all cases are the fault of the airlines, the NCAA expects that operators must comply with the regulations in the event of a disruption.
“In compliance with the directives from the federal government and the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the naming and shaming will commence.”
