The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued a stern warning to Qatar Airways over what it described as a pattern of disregard for Nigerian passengers and regulatory enforcement.
Director of Public Relations and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Mr. Michael Achimugu on his X handle on Friday, accused the airline of showing “disdain” towards Nigerian travellers and the aviation regulator.
“The airline @qatarairways 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,” Achimugu declared.
He cited a disturbing incident involving a male passenger who was accused by a Qatar Airways cabin crew member of misconduct during boarding for a Lagos–Doha–US flight. According to Achimugu, the crew member alleged in Doha and not in Lagos where the boarding occurred, that the passenger had touched her inappropriately.
The man was reportedly arrested on arrival in Doha and detained for 18 hours, during which his wife “suffered mental, physical, and psychological trauma without any form of care.” Achimugu said the passenger was compelled to pay a fine and sign a document “written ONLY in Arabic,” whose contents he could not understand. Despite this, he was denied onward passage and had to purchase another ticket at significant financial and reputational cost.
The NCAA also accused Qatar Airways of repeatedly failing to honour regulatory directives, including ignoring letters of investigation and sending subordinates instead of its country manager to official meetings.
Achimugu stressed that such practices would no longer be tolerated. “It is against the law for ANY airlines 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,” he warned.
He added that bilateral air service agreements (BASAs) must be respected by all parties and that Nigeria would not accept “a situation where airlines operating out of those countries act with disdain towards consumer protection enforcement in Nigeria.”
Achimugu also confirmed that other airlines, including Royal Air Maroc and Saudi Air, had been cautioned about infractions and would face heavy sanctions if they failed to comply with NCAA determinations.
He reaffirmed that the authority’s Director General, Captain Chris Najomo, was committed to protecting both passengers and airlines under Nigerian aviation law and would impose “appropriate and stiff penalties” against non-compliant carriers.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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