An aviation expert, Capt. Mohammed Badamasi has reiterated that flight delays or cancellations by airlines are an infringement on passengers’ rights.

He also challenged the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to critically monitor airlines to ensure that their operations do not exceed the capacity of their aircraft fleet. Badamasi stated these on Thursday in Lagos in an interview with The Guardian.

According to Badamasi, most Nigerian airlines are unaware of the meaning of scheduled flights, implication of flight delays and cancellations on passengers, stressing that such flights must operate consistently on a published schedule to fulfil their obligations to comply with what was promised to the passenger.

He said: “Airlines should cut their coats according to their size. I don’t think that they (airline operators) know the meaning of scheduled flights.

“A scheduled flight is a commercial flight offered by an airline to the public with a fixed, regular timetable, specific routes, and departure times, allowing passengers to book individual seats.

“The delay or cancellation of a flight is an infringement of the passenger’s right, and it should come with a cost to the airline. But here in Nigeria, delays are treated as normal things. It is not that passengers don’t know their rights, but they don’t have the will to fight a case that will not yield any positive results.”

On July 20, 2025, a Lagos bound flight from Abuja, which was originally scheduled for 10:30am was rescheduled for 3:30pm (five hours delay) with an email notification only sent in the early morning of the scheduled flight to the passengers, he recalled.

He regretted that some of the passengers who had an appointment to keep in Abuja the same day had to book alternative flights to catch up with their appointments because of the five hours delay.

Badamasi, who was a pilot with the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways, posited that airlines with a minimal two aircraft should not use such a slim fleet to operate a tight schedule, stressing that in case of faulty equipment, there would be no aircraft to relieve any of the aircraft on the scheduled flights.

“Airlines should tailor their schedule to match the number of aircraft that can enhance unhindered scheduled flights,” he added.
Badamasi called on the NCAA to critically play its role of regulator by ensuring that airlines only operate the number of flights in their schedule, even when their fleet is depleted by one aircraft.

The NCAA on Monday summoned domestic airlines over persistent flight delays, cancellations and other disruptions to their services.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, Michael Achimugu, had disclosed this on Tuesday in his verified social media handle.

The meeting between the two was held on Wednesday in Abuja, where flight delays and cancellations were dissected.