1 month ago
19
By Dickson Omobola
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has condemned Qatar Airways for consistently violating Part 19 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations, Nig. CARs, 2023 that establishes the rights and responsibilities of aerial passengers and the obligations of airlines.
This was conscionable arsenic Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection astatine the NCAA, Mr Michael Achimugu, accused the hose of unlawfully detaining a Nigerian rider for astir eighteen hours successful Doha.
Achimugu besides disclosed connected X that Qatar Airways failed to instrumentality resolutions agreed upon astatine a gathering convened to code the incident.
His words: “The airline, Qatar Airways, has carried connected arsenic 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 volition beryllium brought to a halt immediately.
“A subordinate of this airline’s compartment unit claimed that, portion she was wheeling a rider during boarding for a formation from Lagos to the US via Doha, a antheral rider who was travelling with his woman had touched her butt.
“She did not study this incidental successful Lagos. On accomplishment successful Doha, she made an allegation against this passenger, starring to his apprehension and detention for astir eighteen hours. During the period, his woman suffered mental, physical, and intelligence trauma without immoderate signifier of care. She wondered however her hubby could person committed specified a despicable infraction fixed that she was with him passim the boarding process.
“The authorities successful Doha made the antheral wage a hefty good and forced him to motion a papers written lone successful Arabic! Desperate for state to proceed connected his travel to the US, the rider signed a papers whose contents helium did not understand.
“Despite this, the hose refused to alert him to his last destination. He had to bargain tickets connected different hose and proceed astatine large fiscal and reputational cost.
“Upon invitation by the NCAA, the airline’s state manager, who has a penchant for evading meetings with the NCAA, lone sent his subordinates to attend. However, the NCAA made a determination connected that substance on with others. As has go emblematic of Qatar Airways, they failed to comply with each determinations made from that meeting.
“They person besides failed to dainty consequent complaints from different passengers escalated to them by the CAA, including a full soundlessness upon receipt of a missive of investigation, LOI, sent to them by the NCAA.
“This behaviour stops now. I recognize that immoderate countries bash not person precocious aviation user extortion regulations similar Nigeria does. In definite cases, immoderate countries don’t adjacent person any. This creates a concern wherever airlines operating retired of those countries (mostly nationalist carriers) enactment with disdain towards user extortion enforcement successful Nigeria.
“This is not a concern that we would judge here. It is against the instrumentality for ANY Airlines not to respond to the NCAA. It is against the instrumentality to supply mendacious accusation to the NCAA. It is against the instrumentality to neglect to comply with the provisions of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
“When BASAs are signed, they indispensable beryllium respected by some parties. Every hose is expected to, upon support to run successful Nigeria, recognize and comply with user extortion regulations.
“To proceed to dainty our laws with contempt portion respecting regulations crossed Europe and elsewhere is not perfect and indispensable beryllium brought to a implicit and last stop.”
The station NCAA slams Qatar Airways implicit passenger’s detention, regulatory breaches appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
English (US) ·