He said though the carrier claimed to have communicated with
passengers through electronic mail on the ongoing hitch concerning its
operations, some passengers still showed up at the Lagos airport.
The spokesperson said the NCAA is currently mediating the
conflict between the European carrier and aviation unions which picketed the
airline’s operations at the Lagos Airport on Tuesday.
Achimugu said the federal government and its agencies will
spare no efforts to call to order any airline that infringes on the rights of
Nigerian passengers.
“The NCAA is
currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the inability of Turkish
Airlines to operate flights out of Lagos Airport, due to the picketing of its
operations by aviation unions; we will ensure that the rights of Nigerian
passengers are not violated,” Achimugu said.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the NCAA, the
Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) , and relevant agencies that the
rights of Nigerian passengers are protected.
“Currently, the NCAA is engaging officials of Turkish
Airlines, but we have observed some degree of insolence of the Country Manager,
who engaged our Director General, Captain Chris Najomo in a shouting match, he
was even banging the table. This behaviour to the NCAA is unacceptable.”
After a thorough probe, he said if “the airline is found
culpable, we will invoke the relevant parts of our regulation Part 17 to mete
out the right punishment”.
‘NCAA VISIT STRANDED PASSENGERS’
Visiting stranded passengers affected by flight
cancellations at the new terminal of the airport, Achimugu said NCAA is on top
of the matter.
“We have met with officials of the Turkish Airlines today
and we are working towards resolving the issues between the airline and the
labour union to ensure that you are airlifted out of this airport,” he said.
Achimugu assured that the NCAA will explore all avenues to
resolve the issues.
