The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on 22 January 2018 issued formal queries to several domestic airlines, including Arik Air, Aero Contractors and Medview Airline, over the scale of flight delays and cancellations recorded during the December 2017 festive season, when thousands of passengers were left stranded at airports across the country.
“Avoidable” Disruptions, Regulator Says
NCAA Director General Capt. Muhtar Usman said a post-season review found that many of the disruptions stemmed from inadequate aircraft reserves and poor schedule planning rather than genuine technical or weather-related causes, calling a significant share of the delays “avoidable” had the airlines maintained sufficient backup capacity for the peak period. The authority directed affected carriers to pay compensation to passengers under the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations' consumer protection provisions.
Airlines Cite Aircraft Shortages
The affected airlines pushed back on some of the findings, with one carrier's spokesperson attributing delays to aircraft-on-ground issues and congestion at Lagos and Abuja airports rather than deliberate under-scheduling. The Air Transport Passengers Association of Nigeria said the sanctions were a step forward but urged the NCAA to publish compensation compliance figures so travellers could see whether airlines were actually paying out.