NCAA Slams Qatar Airline Over Unfair Treatment Of Passenger

The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, has condemned the action of Qatar Airways over the unfair treatment of a Nigerian passenger who was unlawfully detained in Doha for allegedly harassing its cabin crew.

This was disclosed in a statement Achimugu shared on his official X handle on Friday, stating that cabin crew claimed the incident happened in Lagos Airport ahead of the United States of America-bound flight with a stopover at Doha.
Achimugu, according to the statement, stated that the man accused was boarding the flight with his wife, condemning the foreign airline’s failure to report the incident when it happened in Lagos, but in Doha, where the accused was forced to sign an alleged incriminating document and pay a heavy fine.
The statement reads, “The airline @qatarairways has carried on
as though Nigerian passengers and the
The CAA are not deserving of their respect,
dignified treatment, and compliance with
Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
“A member of this airline’s cabin crew
claimed that, while she was wheeling a
passenger during boarding for a flight
from Lagos to the US via Doha, a male
passenger who was travelling with his wife
had touched her butt.

“She did not report this incident in Lagos
On arrival in Doha, she made an allegation
against this passenger, leading to his
arrest and detention for about eighteen
hours. During the period, his wife suffered
mental, physical, and psychological
trauma without any form of care.

“She wondered how her husband could have committed such a despicable infraction
given that she was with him throughout the
boarding process.

“The authorities in Doha made the man
pay a hefty fine and forced him to sign
a document written ONLY in Arabic!
Desperate for freedom to proceed on his
journey to the US, the passenger signed
a document which contents he did not
understand.”

The statement further stated that despite the actions of the airline, the passenger was left behind in Doha, subjecting him to book another airline to complete his flight to US.

“Despite this, the airline refused to fly him
to his final destination. He had to buy
tickets on another airline and proceed at
great financial and reputational cost.” Achimugu wrote.

Achimugu claimed that NCAA invited  the airline’s country manager, stressing that he has a penchant for evading meetings with the NCAA, claiming the manager only sends his subordinates to attend.

NCAA promise heavy sanctions on foreign airlines operating in Nigeria flaunting airline laws and compliance.

Achimugu also cited other issues escalated to the Qatar Airways by other passengers which the airline failed to address, stressing that all future non-compliances by airlines will be dealt accordingly.

The statement continues, “As has become typical of @qatarairways, they failed to comply with all determinations made from
that meeting.

“They have also failed to treat subsequent complaints from other
passengers escalated to them by the CAA
including a total silence upon receipt of a
etter of investigation (LOI) sent to them by
the NCAA.

“I understand that some countries do
not have advanced aviation consumer
protection regulations like Nigeria does. In
certain cases, some countries don’t even
have any.

“This creates a situation where
airlines operating out of those countries
(mostly national carriers) act with disdain
towards consumer protection enforcement
in Nigeria.

“This is not a situation that we would
accept here. It is against the law for ANY
Airlines 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 the provisions of Part 19 of the
NCAA Regulations 2023.

“When BASAs are signed, they must be
respected by both parties. Every airline
is expected to, upon approval to operate
in Nigeria, understand and comply with
consumer protection 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.”

The director reiterates the agency’s stance on protecting and regulating aviation matters.

“This department protects the airlines
as much as it protects passengers. The
DGCA, Captain Chris Najomo, has never
minced words about his position on
consumer protection issues, and we will
apply appropriate and stiff penalties
against the airlines that, in perpetuity, fail
to comply.

“In the same vein, Royal Air Maroc and
Saudi Airlines have also been properly advised
about certain infractions and, failing to
comply with the determinations of the
CAA, will be sanctioned heavily,” the statement concluded.