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Brings in new 10 aircraft, to ease operations
From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has said that it has taken necessary steps to ensure that flight operations are not disrupted during the yuletide period, assuring passengers that there will be seamless air operations throughout the festive period and beyond.
Additionally, the NCAA disclosed that following the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo’s signing of the Cape Town Convention Practice Direction, 10 more aircraft have been approved to come into the country to increase the capacity of fleets for air operations.
The Director, Consumer Protection and Public Affairs, NCAA, Michael Achimugu, disclosed these details during an enlightenment campaign for airline customers organised by the Consumer Protection Department of the NCAA in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Wednesday.
Achimugu said the organisation is keen to ensure that air operations are not disrupted during the 2024 festive season and beyond.
He noted that many travellers do not know that when their rights are violated or plans disrupted, they are supposed to report to the NCAA, stating that the sensitisation was to empower air passengers to know their rights and responsibilities.
He said: “We are now in the high travel season in the aviation sector and, as you know, there have been a lot of flight disruptions over the year and many complaints regarding that.
“Our duty at the NCAA is to sensitise our passengers, because most of the time, when complaints arise about these disruptions, they stem from poor knowledge about their rights and responsibilities as air passengers.
“Our duty in the Air Consumer Protection Department of the NCAA is to protect both the passengers and the airlines as businesses. They are all our stakeholders. We cannot blame passengers for what they do not know.
“So, we are creating mass awareness. It will continue throughout next year. A lot of people do not know that if they have problems in air travel, the NCAA is the place to report.”
“The airlines owe a responsibility to the passengers to, after 30 minutes, provide information, after two hours, provide refreshments. Where a passenger’s flight has been cancelled beyond the hours of 10:00 pm and 4:00 am, they are entitled to accommodation.
“Contrary to what passengers sometimes think, the mere part of the disruption is not what qualifies an airline for sanctions. It is the non-compliance with the regulations that they are required to follow, where a disruption has occurred, that qualifies for sanction.”
Achimugu stressed that there would not be disruptions this yuletide, adding that more fleets are coming into the country to increase the capacity of air operations in Nigeria.
He said: “There will not be disruptions this festive season because of the Hon. Minister’s signing of the Cape Town Convention Practice Direction, and with the support of my DDCA, Capt. Idera, more aircraft are coming into the country.
“Recently, 10 new aircraft have arrived in Nigeria, spread across airlines such as Ibom Air, Air Peace, and United Nigeria. These have ramped up the fleets in Nigeria, as we have always had a capacity problem. But now, we have more planes. The disruptions are going to reduce.
“In the NCAA, we are recording, in the history of Nigeria, a significant improvement in case resolution. Nigeria is one of the few countries in the world where airlines are made to pay 100 percent refunds without charges.
“Now, we are steadily achieving a 65 percent case resolution rate for 2024. Most of the unresolved cases are those where there are disagreements over figures between the passenger and the airline, and we are mediating.”