The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has vowed to apply necessary sanctions against Qatar Airways for allegedly mistreating Nigerian passengers.
This was revealed in a statement by the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, via his official X account yesterday.
According to the terse statement, Achimugu noted that the airline had failed to comply with consumer protection regulations under Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023, reports Channels TV.
Achimugu narrated a recent incident involving a Nigerian passenger accused by a Qatar Airways cabin crew member of sexual harassment during boarding in Lagos for a flight to the United States via Doha.
He said the airline failed to report the allegation in Nigeria before taking it to Doha, where the passenger was arrested, detained for 18 hours, fined, and compelled to sign a document written solely in Arabic.
Qatar Airways allegedly refused to continue the passenger’s journey, forcing him to purchase another ticket at considerable financial and reputational cost.
The regulator threatened penalties against the airline for repeatedly disregarding its directives.
He also revealed that Royal Air Maroc and Saudi Air have been cautioned for similar infractions and risk heavy sanctions if they fail to comply with the regulator’s decisions.
“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.
“A member of this airline’s cabin crew claimed that, while she was wheeling a passenger during boarding for a flight from Lagos to the US via Doha, a male passenger who was travelling with his wife had touched her butt. She did not report this incident in Lagos. On arrival in Doha, she made an allegation against this passenger, leading to his arrest and detention for about eighteen hours.
“To continue to treat our laws with contempt while respecting regulations across Europe and elsewhere is not ideal and must be brought to a complete and final stop. This department protects the airlines as much as it protects passengers. The DGCA, Captain Chris Najomo, has never minced words about his position on consumer protection issues, and we will apply appropriate and stiff penalties against the airlines that, in perpetuity, fail to comply.”
The NCAA said it invited Qatar Airways’ country manager to a meeting over the incident, but he failed to attend, sending subordinates instead.
The authority further noted that the airline has ignored regulatory determinations, failed to respond to passenger complaints escalated by the NCAA, and neglected to acknowledge a letter of investigation.
Achimugu stressed that Nigeria’s consumer protection rules must be respected just as airlines comply with those in Europe and elsewhere.
He warned that providing false information to the NCAA or disregarding its directives is unlawful, adding that bilateral air service agreements (BASAs) signed with Nigeria must be upheld.
