The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has been challenged to implement stronger passenger protection measures and stricter regulatory oversight following continuous severe operational disruptions by domestic carriers.
The Chief Executive Officer of United States-based aircraft Brokerage, Nigame, Olufemi Adeniji in an interview with The Guardian in Lagos over the weekend, said that indigenous airlines continued to trample on the rights of the travelling public without any help from the regulatory agency.

For instance, he alleged that earlier in the month, he and other passengers were left stranded for almost 15 hours at the Lagos airport for almost 15 hours due to inadequate operational aircraft.
According to Adeniji, he had planned to board a United Nigeria Airlines flight from Lagos to Asaba on May 13, which was scheduled to depart at 7:15 a.m.

He, however, regretted that the 7:15am flight did not depart until 10:15 p.m., resulting in a delay of about 15 hours and causing significant inconvenience to passengers.
He alleged that throughout the prolonged delay, passengers received little information from the airline and were left frustrated by what he described as poor communication and inadequate customer service.

The aviation consultant noted that his inquiries revealed that the Asaba flight was not the only service affected on the said day.
He claimed that flights to Port Harcourt, Kano and other destinations also experienced significant delays, with passengers reportedly receiving little explanation for the disruptions.

Adeniji said the delay had personal consequences for his family, as it prevented his children from attending the burial of their grandmother in Anambra State.
He added that many other passengers on the flight missed important business engagements, family events and personal commitments due to the disruption.

According to him, persistent delays and cancellations continue to undermine public confidence in Nigeria’s aviation industry and highlight operational challenges confronting some domestic airlines.
He said: “The scheduled passengers were left in a state of confusion and frustration without anyone properly attending to their concerns.

“Airlines cannot operate efficiently without adequate aircraft fleets and qualified crew members. Poor scheduling and operational failures negatively affect passengers’ lives, businesses and confidence in the aviation system.”
He, therefore, Adeniji urged the NCAA and the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to investigate recurring delays across the domestic aviation sector and strengthen enforcement of passenger rights.

Among the measures he proposed are mandatory penalties for flight delays exceeding two hours, compensation equivalent to at least 50 per cent of ticket fares in the form of travel vouchers, hotel accommodation for passengers affected by delays beyond four hours, transportation support for stranded travellers and compulsory endorsement of tickets to alternative airlines when operational disruptions occur.
He insisted that passengers deserved professionalism, accountability, transparency and respect, noting that the country’s aviation sector could improve, but only if airlines and regulators took recurring operational failures seriously.