By Chidi Ugwu
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued a stern warning to Qatar Airways, accusing the Gulf carrier of showing disregard for Nigerian passengers and failing to comply with the nation’s aviation consumer protection regulations.
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Mr Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, raised the alarm in a statement shared on his official X handle, where he accused Qatar Airways of treating both the Nigerian regulator and its passengers with contempt.
According to Achimugu, the most recent case involved a Nigerian passenger and his wife travelling from Lagos to the United States via Doha. During boarding in Lagos, a female cabin crew member alleged that the male passenger had touched her inappropriately.
The incident, however, was not reported in Lagos but later raised on arrival in Doha, leading to the man’s arrest.
The passenger was detained for about eighteen hours and eventually forced to pay a fine. Achimugu further disclosed that he was compelled to sign a document written solely in Arabic – a language he did not understand – before being released.
“Desperate for freedom to proceed on his journey to the US, the passenger signed a document whose contents he could not understand. Despite this, the airline refused to fly him to his final destination. He had to buy another ticket at great financial and reputational cost,” Achimugu explained.
He said the man’s wife suffered “mental, physical, and psychological trauma without any form of care” during her husband’s detention, insisting the allegation was implausible since she was with him throughout the boarding process.
The NCAA’s concerns were compounded by what it described as Qatar Airways’ consistent failure to honour regulatory determinations.
Achimugu revealed that when summoned over the incident, the airline’s country manager refused to appear before the Authority, delegating subordinates instead. Even after the NCAA issued rulings, Qatar Airways allegedly ignored them, including a formal letter of investigation.
“This behaviour stops now. It is against the law for any airline not to respond to the NCAA, to provide false information, or to fail to comply with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023. When BASAs (Bilateral Air Services Agreements) are signed, they must be respected by both parties,” Achimugu declared.
He criticised what he described as a double standard, where airlines from some countries with weaker consumer protection frameworks fail to respect Nigerian laws but diligently comply with European regulations.
“To continue to treat our laws with contempt while respecting regulations across Europe and elsewhere is not ideal and must be brought to a complete and final stop,” he stressed.
Achimugu emphasised that the NCAA protects airlines as much as it protects passengers, but warned that stiff penalties would be applied to carriers that persistently disregard Nigerian aviation laws.
He also noted that Royal Air Maroc and Saudi Air had similarly been cautioned over certain infractions and risked heavy sanctions should they fail to comply with NCAA determinations.
“The Director-General of Civil Aviation, Captain Chris Najomo, has never minced words about his position on consumer protection issues. We will apply appropriate and stiff penalties against airlines that in perpetuity fail to comply,” Achimugu concluded.
