NCAA sanctions Ethiopian Airlines, Air Peace, others over regulatory infractions
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced Ethiopian Airlines, Air Peace and Arik Air, among the aviation firms sanctioned over regulatory infractions.
Others are: Aero Contractors, and Royal Air Maroc, said Michael Achimugu, NCAA’s director of public affairs and consumer protection.
On December 24, the aviation authority said it sanctioned five airlines, comprising two international and three domestic operators, for violating Part 19 of NCAA Regulations of 2023.
The NCAA said the violations include failure to refund passengers within the stipulated time frame, non-responsiveness to authority’s directives, incidents of missing and manhandled luggage, short-landed baggage, and issues relating to flight delays and cancellations.
Providing an update after a stakeholders’ meeting with airlines on Friday, the NCAA commended Air Peace for accepting the enforcement actions.
In a statement, the authority said Allen Onyema, Air Peace’s chairman, acknowledged some of the infractions by his staff and pledged to ensure compliance with the NCAA’s directives, particularly regarding timely passenger refunds.
“I am glad that this has happened. I have warned my team. This shows that the NCAA know what they are doing. I will always acknowledge it where the fault is ours,” Onyema was quoted as saying.
The NCAA also disclosed that Ethiopian Airlines sought further engagement with the authority regarding the enforcement actions issued against it.
According to the authority, the international airline expressed readiness to comply with the NCAA’s regulations and pledged to submit a compliance report by the following day.
“This is the first time in over a decade that the NCAA Consumer Protection Department is initiating sanctions against airlines,” the statement reads.
The acting director-general of NCAA, Chris Najomo who chaired the stakeholders’ meeting, advised operators to streamline their flight schedules to manageable levels to minimise disruptions.
He warned that the NCAA would adopt stricter enforcement measures against noncompliance, stressing that unruly passenger behaviour will also not be tolerated.
