Good news for passengers as FG moves to impose stiffer penalties on airlines over flight disruptions

This is contained in the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit’s (CRDCU) proposal to the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), to review the draft policy on sanctions for airline operators.

Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, divulged this update via a statement on the CRDCU’s X (formerly Twitter) handle.

During the Q1–Q3 2024 Performance Assessment Report on implementing presidential priorities and ministerial deliverables, Usman stressed that it had become expedient to impose stiffer penalties on airline operators as the number of flight disruptions grew by the day.

She decried the impact of these delays and cancellations on the unwitting passengers, who are left to bear the brunt.

Flight delays increase month-on-month

Recall that the acting Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Chris Najomo, raised alarm over the increase in flight cancellations.

Speaking during the yuletide season, he revealed that in September 2024, 2,434 flights were delayed, and 79 were cancelled out of 5,291 flights.

The trend continued in October 2024, when 2791 flights were delayed, and 111 were cancelled out of 5,513 flights in the month.

Recently, Air Peace also cancelled flights to six states in Nigeria for two days due to unscheduled maintenance. The impromptu announcement took passengers by surprise and left many disorganized due to the disruption in their itinerary.

Speedy customer complaint resolution

Usman described setting a 224-day period for airlines to resolve customer complaints as too long. She recommended revising it to a shorter timeframe. The statement read;

“The Special Adviser recommended that the Ministry and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, revisit the draft policy on sanctions for airlines. She described this as critical given the increasing number of flight delays and cancellations and the impact on affected passengers. She further recommended revising the current target of 224 days to resolve customer complaints, describing it as unrealistic and needing urgent recalibration to align with global best practices”

According to the statement, the CRDCU, led by the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, was in discussions with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to review the Q1–Q3 2024 Performance Assessment Report on the implementation of Presidential Priorities and Ministerial Deliverables.

The first meeting took place at the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, where Usman met with Minister Festus Keyamo, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Dr. Ibrahim Kana, the Managing Director/CEO of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, and other leaders from various departments and agencies under the ministry.

During the meeting, Bala Usman praised the Minister, Festus Keyamo (SAN) and the ministry’s leadership for the progress made within the sector. However, she raised concerns regarding the submission of incomplete information by the ministry and its agencies, which hindered the independent evaluation of progress toward achieving specific goals.

Usman also emphasised the need to improve the ministry’s stakeholder and customer engagement, a critical deliverable that requires immediate attention.