Flight disruption: NCAA official averts violence at Abuja airport

Secures compensation for affected passengers-NCAA

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) has revealed how one of its officials averted an incident that could have turned violent at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport , Abuja

Reacting to complaints about how passengers who bought tickets from Air Peace faced flight delays, the NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mike Achimugu, said on his X handle on Thursday that he was present when the incident happened but that he took charge of the situation addressing by addressing the crowd of passengers and explaining that the airline has no liability in the event of force majeure.

NCAA DG Mike Achimugu

He said he then took measures to provide transportation for passengers and personally paid for nearby accommodation for elderly ones among them. He then said the airline agreed to compensate passengers with a 50% refund, and he facilitated the process by allowing passengers to scan the NCAA QR code for complaints.

“I walked into the scene this evening while trying to catch a flight myself. Passengers were really angry and threatening to become violent. I personally addressed them and engaged for about 20 minutes, explaining that I would confirm from the
the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) if the weather was truly bad. I also explained that the airline does not have liability in the event of force majeure.

“Despite this, here are the measures I took like insisting that the airline provide transportation back to Central area for all passengers. I personally paid for nearby accommodation for a few elderly passengers who looked too weak after the lengthy wait.

“The airline agreed to pay 50% compensation to the passengers and agreed to also refund those who sought a refund. I told the passengers that they could redeem that 50% by cash rather than rebate if they wanted. I opened my phone and let as many passengers as possible to scan the NCAA QR code for passengers complaints, and told them to contact me if the airline fails to resolve their complaints by tomorrow morning,” he said.

Achimugu informed the passengers that in response to ongoing issues of flight delays and cancellations, sanctions were initiated against five airlines by the Consumer Protection Department of the NCAA for the first time in over a decade.

He then promised that to ensure transparency, daily weather reports will now be sent directly to his office to verify the legitimacy of weather-related flight delays. He also said that the Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, will meet with the CEOs of domestic airlines to address these concerns.

“I just announced two nights ago the initiation of enforcement action against five airlines. This will be the first time in more than 10 years that such action is being taken by the Consumer Protection Department of the NCAA. I have immediately written to begin to send directly to my office, daily weather reports to enable me ascertain quickly if an airline lies about weather.

“Tomorrow morning in Lagos, the Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo is cutting short an important assignment to meet with all the Chief Executive Officers CEOs of domestic airlines in Nigeria. This is proof that the Authority cares!

“Three days ago, I voted some money from my hard-earned salary to some indigent passengers owed refunds by a certain airline whose current situation is critical. I didn’t owe anybody such a courtesy, and it is not sustainable, but it simply shows that the NCAA under Capt. Najomo is humane.

“A lot of disruptions are not caused by the airlines. The solutions must be holistic, and the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo has shown leadership by resolving the capacity problem that crippled that industry for years. Now, he is focusing on calibrating sunset airports with instrument landing systems, that way, certain airports will not refuse to clear airlines after dark. He has broken the industry from the doldrums of decadence it was forced into. Be patient with him. The industry will not be perfect in just one year, but significant progress has been made, Achimugu stated.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *