Breach of passengers’ rights: Reps read riot act to erring airlines

By Umar Muhammad Puma

The House of Representatives has warned against the abuse of passengers’ rights and privileges by airline operators in the country, urging regulatory agencies to wake up to their responsibilities through enforcement of spelt out penalties.

The resolution of the House was sequel to a motion  sponsored by Rep Tajudeen Yusuf, who lamented over what he called “flagrant abuse of passengers’ rights by Nigerian airline operators.

The House in its resolution, has mandated its committee on Aviation, to liaise with relevant airline operators to ensure that passengers’ rights and privileges are satisfactorily respected by airline operators.

Yusuf noted that unlike the practice outside the shores of Nigeria, flights are delayed, seats changed without prior notices, and flights outrightly cancelled “without apology from anyone”, adding that many of the airlines while perpetrating serial Ill-treatment of passengers, so not adhere to the terms and conditions of their contracts.

Contributing, Nuhu Danburam described the attitude of airlines as a sign of “total failure of our system, and the regulations, saying the motion was a wake-up call on the aviation regulatory agencies to ensuring that customers rights are fully protected.

Also in her submissions, Nnena Elendu-Ukeje accused the National Civil Aviation Agency (NCAA) of being “too friendly with airline operators, noting that if penalties are applied effectively as spelt out in the NCAA’s guidelines and rules.