The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned that any passenger who attacks airline officials will be charged for criminal offense.
The NCAA in a statement says the warning became necessary due to preponderance of reports from some of the nation’s airports detailing brutal attacks on officials of airlines, adding that these attacks are embarrassing and discourteous to such affected officials.
The statement signed by the spokesman for the NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogboye noted that passengers are not expected to take laws into their hands if and when there are operational hiccups which are capable of truncating air services.
He said over the world, overbooking, denied boarding, delay and cancellations similarly occur in extraneous circumstances.
“The Authority undoubtedly recognises that the operating airlines must at all times uphold the conditions of carriage and contract on each passenger’s ticket.
This means all passengers are conferred with inalienable rights when they are travelling by air. According to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs 2015 Part 19),it prescribes minimum rights for air travellers on the occurrence of any of the following – no show and overbooking of flight, denied boarding, delay and cancellation of flights etc.
These rights shall apply without prejudice to a passenger’s right under any applicable law or contract”.
Passengers have been urged when their rights are infringed upon to lodge their complaints with the Consumer Protection Directorate, or any other competent person designated by the Authority, about an alleged infringement to seek redress or compensation as the case may be.
“On the other hand, when passengers are aggrieved, Part 19.20 states that a passenger may lodge a complaint with the Consumer Protection Directorate, or any other competent person designated by the Authority, about an alleged infringement.
It is on record that the Consumer Protection Directorate (CPD) has handled and resolved several cases from aggrieved passengers to their satisfaction.
Therefore, the Authority expects aggrieved passengers to recourse to the platform provided by NCAA to file their complaints and seek redress or compensation as the case may be.
Subsequently, any passenger found carrying out attacks on airline officials will face criminal prosecution”.
Mr. Adurogboye stressed that while the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is statutorily empowered to provide an enabling environment for a safe and secure air transportation, it will however, not allow any airline official’s life to be ridiculed publicly or endangered.
