The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has accused Qatar Airways of showing contempt for Nigeria’s aviation laws and vowed to impose tough sanctions on the airline for its “continued disregard of consumer protection regulations.”
The NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, issued the warning in a statement posted on his X handle on Friday.
According to Achimugu, the airline repeatedly violated Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023, which governs consumer protection, and ignored official determinations issued by the authority.
He cited a case involving a Nigerian passenger and his wife travelling on a Lagos–Doha–United States flight. A Qatar Airways cabin crew member accused the passenger of inappropriate conduct—an allegation not raised in Lagos but upon arrival in Doha. This led to the passenger’s arrest, an 18-hour detention, and the imposition of a heavy fine.
“The authorities in Doha forced the passenger to sign a document written only in Arabic. Desperate to secure his release, he signed a document he did not understand. Despite this, Qatar Airways refused to fly him to his final destination, forcing him to purchase another ticket at great financial and reputational cost,” Achimugu revealed.
He said when the NCAA invited Qatar Airways for a meeting over the incident, the airline’s country manager failed to attend, sending subordinates instead.
“Determinations issued by the NCAA after that meeting were ignored. Subsequent complaints and even a Letter of Investigation (LOI) sent to the airline received no response,” Achimugu stated.
“This behaviour stops now. It is against the law for any airline not to respond to the NCAA. It is against the law to provide false information to the NCAA. It is against the law to fail to comply with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023,” he warned.
Achimugu added that while some countries lack robust consumer protection systems, Nigeria would not allow foreign carriers to flout its laws while fully complying with those of Europe and elsewhere.
“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 fail to comply,” he said.
