NCAA warns airlines against deporting Nigerians on foreign travels

As operators record 1,320 cancelled flights, 38,061 delays
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned airlines against selling tickets to Nigerians on international travels without proper visa documents.

The warning comes as passengers continue to complain about airlines selling tickets to passengers, only to airlift them halfway to their destinations and deport them back to Nigeria.

The Director, Consumer Protection and Public Affairs of NCAA, Michael Achimugu, in a statement, noted such actions, which involve the refusal of boarding and entry at intermediate transit stops to some Nigerians due to visa and travel restrictions were causing significant distress to passengers and tarnishing the reputation of the aviation industry in Nigeria.

He said the NCAA found such practices completely unacceptable, as it was the responsibility of airlines to inform passengers about any potential barriers to their admissibility at their destination before they commence their travel.

“Passengers should not be put in a position where they are denied entry or returned to Nigeria only on arrival at intermediate, transit stops,” he stated.

According to Achimugu, in line with the provisions of Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023 Part 19.21.1.1, all airlines and their agents must ensure that passengers are informed of any potential admissibility issues or travel restrictions in advance of their departure.

MEANWHILE, the NCAA has said both international and domestic airline operators recorded 1,320 cancelled flights and 38,061 delays in 2024.

In an executive summary on international and domestic flight operations for 2024 released by the NCAA, domestic airlines, with 15 operators, recorded 33,235 delayed flights, while international airlines, with 30 operators, had 4,426 delays.

Regarding cancellations, international airlines recorded 131 cancelled flights, while domestic airlines had 1,189 cancellations.

Overall, the aviation authority said 70,543 flights were operated in domestic space, while 14,359 flights were recorded in the international sector in 2024.

In the document, the NCAA said among the 30 airlines that operated in the international space, Delta Airline, Value Jet, and Uganda Air recorded the highest number of delays.

On the contrary, Virgin Atlantic had the least number of delays in international flights, with the airline recording 26 delays out of 362 operations, representing eight per cent and just one cancelled flight.

Other airlines with low records are United Airlines, with 18 delayed flights out of 171 operations (11 per cent) and Saudi Air, with 19 delays, representing 16 per cent of 121 operations.

According to the NCAA, Air Peace had the highest number of flight delays in 2024.

The airline recorded 7,619 delayed flights out of 15,413 operations in the year.

Next on the list is United Airlines, with 4,559 delayed flights out of 7,794 operations.

Arik Air clinched third place with 5,027 as the total number of delayed flights out of 10,699 flights operated.