More than 3,000 passengers who travelled on Saudi Arabian Airlines flights to Kano have been left waiting for their luggage, with an estimated 180 tonnes of baggage still stranded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which has intervened in the matter, said about eight tonnes of the stranded luggage had so far been flown into Nigeria, while efforts were continuing to return the outstanding baggage to affected passengers.
The disruption has left passengers without clothes, medication, identification documents, keys and other personal belongings weeks after returning to Nigeria.
One of the affected passengers, Engineer Usman Ahmed Zun-Noorayne, said he travelled to Saudi Arabia for Umrah on September 1 and returned to Nigeria on September 15. He said passengers were not adequately informed before boarding that their luggage would not travel with them.
According to him, passengers were asked to surrender some hand luggage shortly before boarding and were led to believe it would be available upon arrival.
“But when we landed, there was no communication. After being cleared by immigration, we proceeded to take our baggage and the place was empty,” he said.
He said some passengers had left essential items, including phones, house and car keys, ATM cards and identity documents in their hand luggage.
Another passenger, Babagana Muhammad, said he and his wife travelled from Heathrow Airport and checked in two pieces of 23kg baggage each before arriving in Kano on September 17. He said they waited at the baggage carousel but were later informed that the aircraft had arrived without the passengers’ luggage.
Muhammad said the absence of clear information from the airline and relevant airport authorities had compounded passengers’ frustration.
The passengers have since sought explanations and compensation from the airline. Zun-Noorayne said passengers who visited the Saudi Arabian Airlines office in Kano were told that a disruption in the supply of aviation fuel had affected flights operating from the airport.
A senior staff member of the airline’s Kano office, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also attributed the baggage problem to a fuel shortage and said the airline was working to transport the luggage separately.
“We have a problem at Kano airport as there is no jet fuel there. But now, we are trying to use cargo flights to convey their luggage as soon as possible,” the staff member said.
The official explained that aircraft have weight limitations covering passengers, baggage and fuel, adding that the airline had prioritised transporting passengers while making arrangements to move their luggage later.
However, the management of Malam Aminu Kano International Airport disputed the suggestion of a general fuel shortage at the airport.
The airport’s Head of Operations, Faruk Isa Fagge, said six jet-fuel stations were available at the airport, although one was without fuel at the time. He said the affected facility happened to be the supplier used by Saudi Arabian Airlines.
Fagge said the airline had subsequently carried additional fuel from Jeddah to Kano and back, reducing the amount of weight available for passenger baggage.
He said the airline had agreed to dedicate an entire flight to transporting the outstanding luggage to Nigeria.
The NCAA has also confirmed the scale of the baggage backlog and said it had been engaging the airline’s management to resolve the matter.
NCAA spokesperson Michael Achimugu said the regulator had already intervened, resulting in the transportation of eight tonnes of luggage from Jeddah. He estimated that about 180 tonnes remained stranded based on the number of passengers affected.
“We hear your complaints, and we read your comments. Nobody is happy about this, and we are not silent,” Achimugu said.
He said the NCAA had maintained contact with the airline and reminded it of its responsibility to passengers. The regulator said Saudi Arabian Airlines had also committed to compensating affected passengers who formally submit complaints through its designated complaints platform.
The airline has directed affected passengers to use its online complaints portal, while a separate platform is available for eligible ticket refund requests.
The NCAA said Saudi Arabian Airlines had cited operational difficulties affecting its Kano operations as one of the factors behind the baggage disruption. The regulator said it was working with the airline to address the operational issues while insisting that passenger welfare remained a priority.
With thousands of passengers still waiting for their belongings, the NCAA said it would continue engaging the airline until the outstanding baggage is returned and affected passengers receive the assistance and compensation promised by the carrier.
