By Desire Emmanuel
Three domestic airlines have landed in trouble after they were accused of incessant cancellation and delay of flights without informing travellers.
The airlines, Xejet, Rano Air and United Nigeria Airlines, were found by the authorities of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to have disregarded rules and regulations regarding activities of airlines.
It was gathered that the NCAA authorities stormed the airlines on Monday afternoon after receiving a deluge of complaints from travellers who said they will arrive at the airports and will be informed of the cancellation of their flights without prior notice.
They also complained that most of the time, they are kept waiting at the airport when flights are delayed or rescheduled and no one will attend to them. They also said anytime they demand for refund of payment, they are not attended to.
Apparently as a result of the complaints, the NCAA officials stormed the Abuja operations of the airlines on Monday, warning their officials of the consequences of their actions.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NCAA, Michael Achimugu, announced the development on his verified X handle on Tuesday morning, saying though some cancellations and delays at airports are inevitable, the airlines should treat their passengers with utmost respect.
Achimugu wrote: “While we understand the unique challenges of December per flight disruptions, airlines must provide the necessary care for passengers at a time like this.
“We have observed that most airlines do not provide timely, honest information, and that they try to evade the provision of light refreshments two hours into a delay, as stipulated by Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
“The NCAA finds this unacceptable and has given an ultimatum to the airlines. We are watching, and action will be taken when necessary.”
