The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, has dismissed allegations that the agency is complicit in the mistreatment of air travellers by local airlines, saying recent flight disruptions were necessary to protect passengers’ lives.
Mr Achimugu was reacting to claims made by Inyali Peter, a PR strategist and journalist, who alleged on X (formerly Twitter) that Aero Contractors mishandled passengers on a flight from Abuja to Calabar on Wednesday.
Mr Inyali wrote that the airline checked in passengers for the Abuja–Calabar flight, boarded them, and kept them waiting inside the aircraft for about 30 minutes before announcing that the flight had been cancelled.
He said passengers were asked to return the following morning at their own expense and without explanation or compensation, despite Nigerian aviation regulations that require airlines to provide food and accommodation in such situations.
He also alleged that the same airline oversold tickets for a Calabar–Lagos flight the previous week, forcing passengers to “bribe or rely on connections” to secure seats, while others were left stranded without any apology.
“The regulators are complicit because they’re the ones enabling this abuse. Aero and Air Peace seem to be competing for the title of Nigeria’s most unreliable airline while the regulating authorities officiate,” he wrote.
NCAA’s defence
In his response posted on Thursday morning, Mr Achimugu described the allegations as unfounded and explained that the flight could not proceed because Calabar airport is a sunset airport, which does not operate beyond certain daylight hours. He said the delay was due to the late arrival of the aircraft and the time required for the pilot to seek landing clearance.
“There was an initial 45-minute delay due to late arrival of the operating aircraft. By the time you boarded, the pilot was trying to get clearance from Calabar because Calabar is a sunset airport, meaning that it would be closed by the time your flight arrived, and the aircraft would not be able to land,” he explained.
Mr Achimugu urged the public not to draw hasty conclusions when flights are delayed or cancelled.
“I cringe every time ignorant people spew accusations of complicity against the regulator over issues they do not understand,” he said.
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He maintained that the NCAA’s primary responsibility is passenger safety, and that some disruptions are unavoidable.
“Not every delay or cancellation calls for drama and unfounded allegations. Sometimes, that’s your life being saved,” he added.
He however ignored the alleged failure to provide any succour for the passengers left stranded by the last-minute cancellation of the flight.
In recent time, there have been allegations of poor services and ill treatment of passengers by Nigerian airlines. While the regulatory agencies claim that operations are being monitored, many passengers complain of poor services, delayed flights, among other concerns.
