Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned foreign airlines to end discrimination against Nigerian passengers or face regulatory actions.
The CAA also warned against some of the foreign airlines’ penchant for ignoring the Authority’s invitations to meetings bothering on complaints against them.
The Acting Director General, Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo spoke in Abuja during a meeting recently with the representatives of the foreign airlines. The meeting focused on the incessant complaints of inhuman treatment by foreign airlines to Nigerian travelers.
He said going forward, the NCAA will activate relevant regulatory provisions on any airline that refuses to honour NCAA’s invitations.
He said it is unacceptable that Nigerians are subjected to different standards of services on foreign airlines especially where there is a need for compensation when flight or baggage delay happen.
He referenced the recent incidents where a Nigerian passenger on Turkish Air had a 21-hour layover in Istanbul yet wasn’t given hotel accommodation and Air France’s over six hours flight delay in Paris yet the Nigerian passengers weren’t properly compensated.
“We invited 23 international airlines and only nine honoured our invitation. This is appalling and the NCAA will not take it. Once the NCAA invites you to a meeting, I advise you to attend because we have every power to do so. We regulate you” Capt. Najomo warned.
The Ag.DGCA said the Authority is increasingly getting all sorts of reports about the bad treatment of Nigerians on international flights and this should stop.
He charged that appropriate advisories and compensation must be given to Nigerian passengers when a flight is delayed for long hours as well as first needs when baggage is delayed.
Also commenting at the meeting, the Director Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr. Mike Achimugu said that despite Nigerians paying premium rates on international routes, transit passengers’ are often subjected to dehumanizing conditions, sometimes isolated without food.
“We have situations where Nigerian passengers are kept in areas without access to food. Meanwhile, Nigerians are premium paying passengers and yet are treated as though they are less human by foreign airlines. This is unacceptable and must stop” he emphasised.
