NCAA to name, shame airlines over regulations violations

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has said it will begin publicly naming and shaming airlines that fail to comply with aviation regulations, particularly in cases of flight cancellations and delays.

In a strongly worded warning posted on his X handle on Monday, the NCAA publicist, Michael Achimugu, emphasised that passengers who are left stranded between the hours of 10:00pm and 4:00am due to cancelled or delayed flights are entitled to hotel accommodation at the airline’s expense.

The NCAA’s move signals a more assertive regulatory approach aimed at improving accountability and passenger welfare in Nigeria’s aviation sector, following outcries and a series of airport violence stemming from airlines’ lapses and non-adherence to regulations.

In recent times, violent acts have become prominent in Nigerian airport incidents that were caused by different reasons.

While some unruly behaviours were caused by passengers’ ignorance of aviation rules, some were a result of airlines’ deliberate moves to circumvent regulations and deprive passengers of their rights.

As a result, the Authority condemned a growing trend where airline staff disappear from terminals during such disruptions, leaving NCAA Consumer Protection Officers to manage agitated passengers alone.

Achimugu warned, “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 acknowledging the operational difficulties facing airlines in Nigeria, the NCAA insisted that challenges do not excuse non-compliance with aviation regulations.

“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?” the statement read.

The authority further criticised the exposure of its staff to potentially dangerous situations, stressing that NCAA officials are only present to support both passengers and the airline industry.

“You cannot expose NCAA officials to avoidable risk when all they do is support your business and protect your rights,” Achimugu added.

To enforce compliance, the NCAA pledged strict adherence to its regulations and reiterated that it would not hesitate to apply the full weight of the law in cases that warranted sanctions.

He said, “For infractions that are sanctionable, the Authority will apply the fullest measures possible. We will not abandon the letters of our regulations.”

Achimugu said the decisive action follows a directive from the Federal Government and the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

As such, the NCAA said it would now begin naming and shaming defaulting airlines as part of its enforcement strategy.

The statement further read, “In compliance with the directives from the Federal Government and the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the naming and shaming will commence.

“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.”