In what officials describe as a renewed effort to enforce compliance and defend the rights of Nigerian passengers, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) fined Qatar Airways N5 million for violations that bordered on consumer protection.
Mr. Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, made the announcement and criticized the airline for what he described as a “persistent disregard for regulatory directives.”
Achimugu revealed that the fine is just one of the airline’s many outstanding issues, pointing out that Qatar Airways has received numerous Letters of Investigation (LOIs) over various grievances.
He cautioned that the Authority will no longer put up with what it sees as a history of contempt and non-compliance, thus failing to reply to the LOIs satisfactorily could result in additional consequences.
He claims that Qatar Airways has behaved “as though Nigerian passengers and the NCAA are not deserving of respect, dignified treatment, and compliance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023” and that this behavior “will be brought to a stop immediately.”
The most recent enforcement action was motivated by an occurrence that occurred on a travel from Lagos to Doha to the United States. A female member of the cabin crew claimed that when she was helping another passenger board in Lagos, a male passenger with his wife had improperly grabbed her. Importantly, the crew member failed to disclose the allegation while in Lagos.
However, she filed the complaint after arriving in Doha, which led to the passenger’s arrest and around eighteen hours of imprisonment.
According to Achimugu, the passenger’s wife had significant mental and psychological suffering during the incident, raising doubts about the veracity of the accusation given that she had accompanied her husband during the boarding procedure.
In order to regain his freedom and resume his voyage, the imprisoned passenger was later forced to sign a paper written entirely in Arabic, even though he could not comprehend the language, and pay a hefty fine.
He had to purchase a ticket on another airline at considerable financial and reputational expense because Qatar Airways refused to take him to his destination even after he followed the instructions in Doha.
Achimugu went on to say that when the NCAA called Qatar Airways to a meeting to discuss the incident and other outstanding issues, the airline’s country manager allegedly sent subordinates in his stead.
Following the meeting, the Authority made decisions, but Qatar Airways is said to have disregarded them. Achimugu emphasized that this is illegal since it has not responded to further complaints or a written letter of intent.
He said, “This behavior ends now.” “Any airline that disregards Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023, fails to respond to the NCAA, or gives false information is in violation of Nigerian aviation law.”
He noted that some international airlines have a tendency to treat Nigerian legislation with contempt, particularly those from nations with laxer consumer protection laws.
Achimugu stated that all parties must respect Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs) and warned that such attitudes will no longer be tolerated.
He reiterated the position of Captain Chris Najomo, the Director-General of Civil Aviation, who has always placed a strong emphasis on consumer protection issues. Achimugu declared, “We will apply appropriate and stiff penalties against any airline that consistently fails to comply.”
In a similar event, he disclosed that Saudi Air and Royal Air Maroc had also received warnings over detected violations. If they disregard the NCAA’s rulings, they will be subject to similarly harsh penalties.
Achimugu reaffirmed that the NCAA is still dedicated to safeguarding travelers and airlines, but he emphasized that adherence to Nigerian aviation regulations is a must.
