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By Chinelo Obogo
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has summoned for a meeting at its Abuja headquarters following passenger complaints and a series of unexplained flight disruptions.
The NCAA’s Director for Public Affairs, Mike Achimugu, broke the news on Saturday via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, confirming that the meeting has been scheduled for Monday. According to Achimugu, the reason for the summons was an incident involving Air Peace’s Heathrow-to-Abuja route, in which passengers were rerouted through Gatwick to Lagos, only to be left stranded at the Lagos airport with no clear path to their final destination of Abuja.
“Air Peace has been summoned to the NCAA HQ for an urgent meeting on Monday with regards to a number of unexplained disruptions, including complaints received today from passengers on the Heathrow-Abuja flight who were rerouted via Gatwick-Lagos-Abuja and left stranded in Lagos because of a reported air return due cracked windshield,” Achimugu stated in his post.
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He further said that the Heathrow-Abuja incident is not an isolated case and that the reason for the summons includes a pattern of operational lapses, delayed refunds, failures to provide adequate compensation, and the neglect of passengers’ needs such as meals, accommodation, and timely communication during periods of disruption.
Achimugu said the regulatory body would not stand by while passengers are abandoned and that a full investigation into the disruptions will be conducted, with consequences to follow based on the findings. The process will be governed by Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023, which outlines the rights of air travelers and the obligations of carriers operating within Nigerian airspace.
“The above, along with cases of delayed refunds, compensations/first needs, has activated the Consumer Protection Department of the NCAA. We will not tolerate any abandonment of paying passengers. While the Authority continues to support domestic carriers, we hold all operators to the strictest standards,” he said.
