Airlines That Abandon Passengers Will Face Sanctions, Public Shaming — NCAA

ByEditor

Sep 8, 2025 #Consumer Protection, #Flight Cancellation, #Michael Achimugu, #Naming and Shaming, #NCAA, #Passenger Abandonment

Pat Stevens/

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned airlines that abandon stranded passengers that they will face not only sanctions but also public shaming.

Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NCAA, issued the warning in a statement on X, stressing that the era of disregarding passenger rights is over.

“If an airline has kept passengers at the terminal up to 00hrs before cancelling a flight, they OWE their passengers hotel accommodation,” Achimugu said. “The regulations stipulate that passengers stranded between the hours of 2200 and 0400 be given accommodation.”

He condemned the frequent practice of airline staff disappearing whenever flights are cancelled or severely delayed, leaving NCAA consumer protection officers to deal with angry passengers.

“The situation where airline staff intentionally disappear, leaving NCAA Consumer Protection Officers to handle justifiably irate and frustrated passengers will no longer be tolerated,” he warned.

Achimugu said that while the NCAA understands the challenges of operating in Nigeria, airlines must not hide behind excuses. “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?”

He further noted that airlines risk exposing NCAA officials to danger when they abandon their passengers. “You cannot expose NCAA officials to avoidable risk when all they do is support your business and protect your rights,” he said.

On enforcement, Achimugu assured that the NCAA will act firmly.

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

He disclosed that the federal government has directed the NCAA to publicly identify offending airlines.

“The federal government has instructed that airlines be named and shamed by the NCAA. 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. In compliance with the directives from the federal government and the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the naming and shaming will commence.”