Regulatory body the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Wednesday disclosed it fined Middle East carrier, Qatar Airways the sum of N5 million for numerous consumer rights violations.
The Director Consumer Protection and Public Affairs Michael Achimugu who disclosed this on his X handle said letters of investigation (LOI) have also been sent to the airline over other cases that may lead to further sanctions if not treated satisfactorily.
This followed an incident involving a member of the airline’s cabin crew who claimed that, while she was wheeling a passenger during boarding for a flight from Lagos to the United States of America via Doha, a male passenger who was travelling with his wife had touched her butt.
“She did not report this incident in Lagos. On arrival in Doha, she made an allegation against this passenger, leading to his arrest and detention for about eighteen hours. During the period, his wife suffered mental, physical, and psychological trauma without any form of care. She wondered how her husband could have committed such a despicable infraction given that she was with him throughout the boarding process.”
“The authorities in Doha made the man pay a hefty fine and forced him to sign a document written ONLY in Arabic! Desperate for freedom to proceed on his journey to the US, the passenger signed a document with contents he did not understand.”
Achimugu said upon invitation by the NCAA, the airline’s country manager, who has a penchant for evading meetings with the NCAA, only sent his subordinates to attend. However, the NCAA made a determination on that matter along with others.
He lamented that the airline has carried on as though Nigerian passengers and the NCAA are not deserving of their respect, dignified treatment, and compliance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023. This will be brought to a stop immediately.
While stating that the behaviour must stop now, Achimugu said “I understand that some countries do not have advanced aviation consumer protection regulations like Nigeria does.”
In the same vein,the Authority also issued a stern warning to Royal Air Maroc and Saudi Air who have also been properly advised about certain infractions and, failing to comply with the determinations of the CAA, saying they will be sanctioned heavily.
