The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued a stern warning to airlines operating in the country against the practice of deceitful departure time scheduling. This was made known during a media briefing which held in Abuja on Tuesday.
The Authority stated that it has adopted a zero-tolerance approach against any airline that continues to engage in regulatory infractions.
The ADGCA, speaking through the NCAA Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr. Michael Achimugu noted that the NCAA has received reports of some airlines advertising deceitful departure times, which is in violation of the Authority’s regulations.
According to him, it has been discovered that some airlines display deceitful passenger departure times at their counters, in advertisements, or on their websites, an act highly prohibited. “We want to make it clear that the DGCA has directed monitoring and offenders will face serious regulatory actions”, he said.
In addition, the NCAA has emphasized the importance of prompt refunds to passengers.
Capt. Najomo stated that all refunds by airlines must be done without undue delays and within 14 working days, regardless of the mode of ticket purchase. He stressed the importance of fair treatment of passengers and highlighted the NCAA’s supportive stance towards airline profitability due to their significant economic value.
Achimugu said since Capt. Najomo assumed office, he made the ease of doing business the crux of his action plan for the NCAA. In line with that action plan, he has made processes for licensing easy for operators. The time to secure AOC is now shorter and less cumbersome than it used to be in the past. The Authority therefore expects reciprocity from airlines which is world-class services to passengers.
On the suspension of PNCF license for ten operators, he explained that they were advised since April 2024 to commence the process for recertification but they refused to comply this they left the Authority with no option than to sanction them.
The Authority believes in safety, discipline, and economic regulation, and will not hesitate to take action against any operator that fails to comply with its regulations. He emphasized NCAA’s commitment to improving the ease of doing business in the aviation industry which is evident in its high score on the Presidential Enabling Business Council (PEBEC) ranking.
In his words, “Recently our sister agency scored 96 percent but the NCAA scored 98.5 percent which is an extremely high score. This is building from the commendable score of 71.04 the NCAA scored during this year’s ICAO Security Audit”.
