The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has declined waiver requests from several airlines to cancel the penalties imposed on them.
The authority insisted that the sanctions are meant to enforce compliance and service improvement for the customers, not to punish the airlines.
Speaking on the matter, the Director for Consumer Protection and Public Affairs at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, insisted that the authority would stand by its decision.
He noted that even though these requests for leniency are accompanied by promises to improve service delivery, promises are not enough reasons to grant them waivers.
Mr. Achimugu remarked that while complete waivers will not be granted, the NCAA could offer to review the fines under certain conditions, PUNCH reports.
He stressed that the penalties are meant to protect consumer rights to quality service, and if an airline is seen to have successfully resolved passenger complaints, the NCAA would be willing to review the fines.
The core condition to be granted the fine review or reduction is that the airlines must show commitment and resolve all the issues.
He stated;
Recall that the NCAA had warned airlines to comply with the refund timelines as stipulated in Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
The NCAA later sanctioned five airlines and warned that failure to comply with regulatory standards could lead to the imposing of the largest sanction in Nigeria’s aviation history.
Recall that two airlines, Eastwind Aviation Logistics Services Limited and Omni-Blu Aviation, had their Air Operator Certificates revoked by the regulator due to regulatory infractions.
NCAA, however, restored Omni-Blu Aviation’s Air operators certificate (AOC) after NCAA investigations cleared it of any wrongdoing.
The NCAA is also trying to drive down airfares in the sector and has recently announced the approval of five new airline operators to bring more competition in the space.
In related news, the NCAA sanctioned five airlines, including Arik Air, Air Peace, Aero Contractors, Ethiopian Airlines and Royal Air Maroc, due to a rise in passenger complaints.
The affected airlines were given two options – to either appeal the ruling or to pay the fine slammed by the regulator.
The burden is also on the airlines to prove to the regulator that they have resolved the mounting list of customer complaints.
Source: TimesNow.com.ng
