Ag DG NCAA
The Director ,Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, has stated that there is no justification for unruly passenger behavior anywhere in the world. He announced that there are mechanisms in place to report every disservice that is exhibited to passengers at the airports.
While providing details on handling issues of unruly passengers at airports during an on air interview, he disclosed that unruly passengers will definitely be punished and that’s why the NCAA and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) are working towards establishing mobile courts to deal with the problem.
He made reference to a recent disruption of an Ibom Air flight scheduled to depart Uyo for Abuja because of a single passenger’s unruly behaviour.Achimugu revealed that the lady in question has already been sent to court.
The NCAA spokesperson explained that the weather or airlines and agencies working within the airports might be the cause of flight disruption.He recalled that in 2024, NCAA recorded the highest number of volume of refunds and compensations by airlines in Nigeria in the history of the NCAA. He commented that It is a very good development.
“NCAA and FAAN have the mandate to speak up against unruly passenger behavior and take necessary actions. For instance, the lady who disrupted the Ibom Air flight has already been sent to court.Both agencies are working together to ensure that we eliminate unruly passenger behavior at the airport. However, not forgetting that airlines and every other agency working within the airport also have a responsibility and duty to the passengers.
“I do not want it to seem like, we are only hammering about what the passengers do wrong.The courts would be like any other mobile court. Unruly passengers will definitely be punished and that’s the most important thing.
“We have tried to understand the challenges that the airlines have, because I can put it to you now that over 90% of the disruptions are not the fault of the airlines directly. On the government side, there are facilitation problems sometimes, and there’s weather and force majeure in all of these other issues. To the common, average passenger, they may not understand how these things work.
“For instance, about the unruly Ibom Air passenger, just a few weeks before that incident, her bag had also been short-landed by the same airline, Ibom Air and she had traveled to Uyo. They had promised her that her bag would arrive the next day.They called her and asked, where she was and she said, Aba. By their own policy, which is very clearly stated on their website, they will only deliver to her intra-city, meaning that same city where her arrival was.But the airline took the pains to send a driver all the way from Uyo to Aba to deliver her bag to her without any damage to that bag and with nothing missing.
“The question becomes, if that airline had done that for her in a place as far away as Aba, why did she think she couldn’t trust the airline to deliver to her in Abu Dhabi as well? In any case, she was not the only passenger whose bag was being short-landed. So there’s no excuse really for some of these things that happen. I understand the frustration. Let’s not forget that even we, the regulators, also fly. These things happen to us too.We do not fly any different airline from other Nigerians. The message I’d like to put out there for Nigeria, is that we are here to protect your rights.
“My department protects the rights of not just the passengers, but also the airlines. So when we look at issues and say, it is not the fault of the airline, you do not expect the airline to be sanctioned just for the fun of it.,”he said
Achimugu made reference to another unruly passenger who ordered from Jamena in Chad heading to Charles de Gaulle in Paris.He explained the details of the circulating video about his display of attitude.
He enlightened that if anyone is treated badly at any airport, anywhere in the world as a Nigerian, he or she has every right to report to the NCAA as the Authority has been engaging airlines and nations over such treatment which has brought about justice for a lot of Nigerian passengers.
“While on transit, he began to exhibit dangerous behavior. They were picking up passengers from Abuja, mostly Nigerians, to Paris.With such a risk on board, the protocol was to hand him over to the authorities of Overtech.This is a safety protocol because he wanted to place the lives of all the other passengers over the one unruly passenger’s life. Imagine if he had been allowed to continue on that flight and something had happened. The question Nigerians would have been asking was, why was he not deported? Ours is a tankless job.
“This thing is not about what people would think. There are regulations to these things and international conventions that must be abided by.There are safety protocols as well.He had been deported in Abuja and handed over to the authorities. The French embassy sent officials and a doctor to come see him. He was arrested and taken to Tango City.
“Tango City ,being the holding cell of FAAN Aviation Security (AVSEC).He was examined by a doctor, given some drugs, medication, and then taken to a hotel within the terminal. He did not step outside the airport because he didn’t have a visa. Even the embassy officials could not have taken him into the city.He spent the night in the hotel under observation and under the guard of two officers.The next day, when they thought he had been stabilized enough to fly, he became unruly again. So that airline also deported him.
“The video people were seeing was the next day when he was supposed to go via Asky. But he could not provide evidence that he had actually paid for that flight. So ASky refused to board him as well.That was what triggered the passenger. In that condition, there was no way he would have been allowed to board. It would have been a threat to everybody.
“The day of that incident seen in that video, he was taken to Pan Clinic to be seen by a different doctor. Under the instruction of the NCAA. We needed to know what was wrong with him and, also find a safe way to get him out of the country because he was becoming a liability to Nigeria.
“Why couldn’t he have been sent back to the country where he came from? You have a passenger that can crash a plane. Why do you want to put him on a plane? Are you saying we shouldn’t value the lives of the other passengers on that plane? Not at all. That is why the NCAA insisted that Air France come and pick up their passenger. But it must be in safe conditions. And so it was agreed that he’d be sedated for the duration of the trip and so he was sedated. Myself and some of our officers escorted him on board and then he left safely. But the right protocol was followed for safety concerns.
“If other nations treat us badly, it simply means then that that country does not respect the laws. We would not go low to their levels because they act that way. In any case, if you are treated badly at any airport, anywhere in the world as a Nigerian, you have every right to report to the NCAA.We have been engaging airlines and nations over such treatment and we have gotten justice for a lot of Nigerian passengers.
Michael Achimugu disclosed that at every terminal in Nigeria, the NCAA has consumer protection officers.He added that air passengers need to understand the regulations and be educated about the terms and conditions of the tickets they are purchasing.
He stated that another problem is not receiving emails on cancellations due to having an agent’s email on the ticket.To avoid these issues, he advised passengers to come earlier before their flights
“We recently have launched and commissioned the Consumer Protection Officers uniforms to make them more identifiable, easily recognizable for passengers who are aggrieved. But even where you cannot see them yourself, ask.
“We have desks and we have offices at every terminal in Nigeria. So most of the cases like where a passenger has been refused denied boarding, you know, where you feel aggrieved, and you want a refund, you can initiate these things right there at the terminal with them.
“For instance, where you purchase your ticket by cash and you seek a refund, the regulation says that you are entitled to a refund immediately and by cash as well.That can be sorted out right there at the terminal if you locate the NCAA desk. Where you purchase your ticket via mobile bank app or internet banking and all of that, the regulation gives the airline 14 days to refund your money.
“There’s a need for passengers to understand these regulations, , also read the terms and conditions of the tickets they are purchasing. For instance, there are some tickets like promo tickets, some of the lowest airfares that are not flexible tickets. You cannot reroute and you cannot get a refund.
“Where you do not understand the terms and conditions of a ticket you have purchased, you may be feeling aggrieved but unjustifiably . It’s important to know, especially where you are purchasing through your agent.Always let your agent know this. Another reason why sometimes people don’t get emails of cancellation and delay from the airline is where you have purchased through your agent and instead of writing your own details in that transaction, the agent has put his own email.
“The email gets to the agent, he may be too busy or forgetful and fail to transmit to you that there’s a notice of cancellation or delay and then you get to the airport and you are taking it out on the airline. I’m not saying that this is the only scenario, but most cases that we have handled, this has been the major issue. In fact, the airlines have reported travel agencies over this.
“We have called travel agents, to several meetings and they are beginning to make adjustments to these issues. Also, if you want to avoid some of these issues, come early for your flights, come early to the airport. The regulations say that for international flights, be there at least three hours before departure.For domestic flights, come at least two hours. I’ve had a passenger who was screaming for refund when I looked into the matter. He had come to the airport after the check-in counter had closed 30 minutes before the flight.
“For issues like weather, for instance, why would you punish an airline for poor visibility? Is it their fault? Is it their making? It’s beyond their control, so when such things happen, you are entitled to ask for a refund if you want to. You come to the NCAA at cpd.ncaa.gov.ng. You can also copy me, who’s the director, michael.achimugu@ncaa.gov.ng for all your airline complaints.
