The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has threatened sanctions against Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, and Saudi Air for repeated violations of passenger rights and failure to comply with its consumer protection directives.
Michael Achimugu, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said on Friday via his verified X account that the airlines have disregarded determinations made under Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
He accused Qatar Airways of treating Nigerian passengers with “disdain” and highlighted a case in which a Nigerian passenger travelling with his wife to the US was detained in Doha after a cabin crew member alleged misconduct during boarding in Lagos.
According to Achimugu, the complaint was never raised in Nigeria but filed in Doha, leading to the passenger’s arrest, 18-hour detention, a forced fine, and the signing of a document written only in Arabic. Despite this, Qatar Airways reportedly refused to complete his journey, forcing him to buy another ticket at great financial and reputational cost.
The NCAA said Qatar Airways’ country manager repeatedly avoided meetings with regulators, sending subordinates instead, and ignored official determinations and a Letter of Investigation (LOI).
“This behaviour stops now,” Achimugu declared. “It is against the law for any airline not to respond to the NCAA, to provide false information, or to fail to comply with consumer protection regulations.”
He warned that Nigeria’s Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs) must be respected just as airlines comply with European regulators, stressing that “no airline is above the law.”
Royal Air Maroc and Saudi Air were also cited for infractions, with NCAA warning that they too will face heavy sanctions for non-compliance.
