The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned Qatar Airways that it will face sanctions following a complaint of mistreatment of a Nigerian passenger.
This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by Michael Achimugu, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NCAA. He accused the airline of “disregarding consumer rights and refusing to comply with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.”
According to him, the matter involves a male passenger travelling with his wife on a Lagos–Doha–U.S. flight.
A cabin crew member accused him of this misconduct during boarding in Lagos but they did not do it locally.
On the contrary, the report was lodged in Doha where the man was arrested, detained almost 18 hours, fined, and forced to sign documents in Arabic only.
Achimugu complained that the passenger was refused to continue his journey and had to purchase a new ticket, which cost him money and damaged his reputation. According to him, the NCAA views the airline’s conduct as unacceptable and has vowed to act.
He stressed that Qatar Airways has repeatedly ignored directives from the regulator. Royal Air Maroc and Saudi Air have also been issued warnings for similar consumer rights violations.
“The airline has carried on as though Nigerian passengers and the NCAA are not deserving of their respect, dignified treatment, and compliance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023. This will be brought to a stop immediately,” Achimugu said.
