Jonathan Nwokpor
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, or NCAA, has said that it will not think twice about imposing sanctions on Turkish Airlines for mistreating Nigerian customers by citing pertinent sections of the organization’s laws.
This was revealed to reporters in Lagos on Wednesday by Mr. Michael Achimugu, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection for the NCAA.
According to Achimugu, President Bola Tinubu gave the NCAA, FAAN, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and other pertinent authorities instructions to make sure that Nigerian travelers’ rights are always upheld.
He added that the European carrier and aviation worker unions, who picketed the airline’s operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, were at odds and that the NCAA was currently mediating the dispute.
He claims that because Turkish Airlines was unable to fly Nigerian customers to Istanbul, they are still stuck at the airport, and the agency will not think twice about slapping the airline with harsh fines and penalties.
According to Achimugu, the Federal Government and its authorities will make every effort to issue an order against any airline that infringes on the rights of passengers from Nigeria.
He also mentioned that on Tuesday, in a virtual meeting from the United Kingdom, NCAA Director-General Capt. Chris Najomo had started the process of mending the differences between the unions and Turkish Airlines’ country manager.
However, he claimed that the airline agent displayed several impudent behaviors, which the regulator believed to be a sign of disrespect for the system.
In response to the infringement, Achimugu stated that the Federal Government would not be reluctant to investigate the deadlock in order to determine the appropriate course of action should the carrier be determined to be at fault.
He added that in taking appropriate action to address any violations of their conditions of operation within the nation, the Federal Government will do everything within its power to guarantee that the rights of Nigerian passengers are not violated by any carrier, including foreign airlines.
He verified that since Turkish Airlines had canceled flights into and out of Nigeria till Thursday, more than 300 people had been caught in the tangle with aviation unions.
Achimugu stated that despite the airline’s assertion that it has emailed passengers about the ongoing issue with its operations into and out of the nation, some customers continued to show up at the Lagos Airport.
He said: “The NCAA is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the inability of Turkish Airlines to operate flights out of Lagos Airport, due to the picketing of its operations by aviation unions.
“We will ensure that the rights of Nigerian passengers are not violated.
“President Bola Tinubu has directed the NCAA, FAAN and relevant agencies to ensure that the rights of Nigerian passengers are protected.
“Currently, the NCAA is engaging officials of Turkish Airlines, but we have observed some degree of insolence of the Country Manager, who engaged our D-G in a shouting match, he was even banging the table.
“This behaviour to the NCAA is unacceptable. At the end of our findings, if the airline is found culpable, we will invoke the relevant parts of our regulation Part 17, to met out the right punishment.”
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