Femi Ashekun/
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued a stern warning to Qatar Airways, accusing the airline of treating Nigerian passengers with disdain and refusing to comply with consumer protection regulations after a Nigerian passenger was detained in Doha over a sexual assault allegation made by a cabin crew member.
Michael Achimugu, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, disclosed this in a statement posted on his verified X handle on Friday. He described the incident as “an egregious example of disrespect” to both Nigerian passengers and the NCAA.
According to Achimugu, the ordeal began when a Qatar Airways hostess alleged that a male passenger travelling with his wife had touched her inappropriately while she was wheeling another passenger during the boarding process of a flight from Lagos to the United States via Doha.
“The incident happened inside the aircraft. Shockingly, she did not report this matter in Lagos. Instead, on arrival in Doha, she made the allegation against the passenger, which immediately led to his arrest and detention for about 18 hours,” Achimugu said.
He explained that the passenger’s wife endured severe mental, physical, and psychological trauma during her husband’s detention, insisting on his innocence.
“She wondered how her husband could have committed such a despicable infraction given that she was with him throughout the boarding process,” Achimugu added.
The NCAA spokesperson revealed that Qatari authorities not only detained the man but also imposed a hefty fine and coerced him into signing a document written entirely in Arabic.
“Desperate for freedom to proceed on his journey to the US, the passenger signed a document whose contents he did not understand,” he said.
Despite this, Qatar Airways reportedly refused to transport the passenger to his final destination. “He had to buy fresh tickets on another airline and proceed at great financial and reputational cost,” Achimugu stated.
The NCAA said it invited the airline’s country manager to explain the matter, but he repeatedly evaded meetings, sending only subordinates in his place. Determinations made at those meetings were allegedly ignored by the airline.
“As has become typical of Qatar Airways, they failed to comply with all determinations made from that meeting. They have also failed to treat subsequent complaints from other passengers escalated to them by the NCAA, including a total silence upon receipt of a letter of investigation (LOI) sent to them,” Achimugu declared. “This behaviour stops now.”
He stressed that Nigeria has some of the most advanced consumer protection regulations in aviation and warned that the NCAA would no longer tolerate airlines that disregard them.
“It is against the law for ANY airline not to respond to the NCAA. It is against the law to provide false information to the NCAA. It is against the law to fail to comply with the provisions of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023,” Achimugu warned.
He further emphasised that bilateral air service agreements (BASAs) must be respected equally by all parties.
“To continue to treat our laws with contempt while respecting regulations across Europe and elsewhere is not ideal and must be brought to a complete and final stop,” he said.
Achimugu also noted that the NCAA protects both passengers and airlines, reiterating the stance of the Director-General of Civil Aviation, Captain Chris Najomo.
“The DGCA has never minced words about his position on consumer protection issues, and we will apply appropriate and stiff penalties against airlines that, in perpetuity, fail to comply,” he said.
In the same statement, he disclosed that other airlines, including Royal Air Maroc and Saudi Air, had been cautioned over similar infractions. “They have been properly advised and, failing to comply with the determinations of the NCAA, will be sanctioned heavily,” he said.
The NCAA has not released the identity of the passenger or the cabin crew member.
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