NCAA to issue regulation on Air passengers’ Bill of Rights

Many Nigerian air carriers such as Aero are notorious for arbitrarily cancelling passenger’s flights without adequate notification or provision of alternatives for such passengers. Respite may be coming soon as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is poised to issue a bill of rights for passengers later this month.

Sam Adurogboye, head of media, NCAA, said the bill was originally slated to be released in the first quarter, however it will now be released later this month.

Speaking on the contents of the bill, he said, “The bill will mandate the airlines to politely tell their passengers why they have to cancel any flight. If it is as a result of weather, it is understandable; but if it is due to logistics, operational problems or no reason at all, then the airline will have to bear the brunt as stated in the bill.”

He added, “Every stakeholder will be invited and everybody will have a say. Even if it is not accepted, it must be open for all. And at the end of the day, the document that will come out after that conference will become a regulation; and the name, as I have mentioned earlier, is the Bill of Rights.

“This document will be endorsed and signed by the director-general, who has been empowered by the Federal Government; and when this is done, it becomes a law and is binding. This is basically going to protect the rights of the consumers, for what we are having now as the NCAA regulation covers purely safety.”