Air Passengers Distressed Over 47,923 Luggage Missing in Transit on Local, Int’l Airlines

• Air passenger traffic has been on the decline, according to the NCAA executive summary
• This may not be unconnected with the increasing number of luggage items that end up lost or delayed in transit
• The summary shows that almost 50,000 luggage belonging to passengers went missing, and several thousand are still unaccounted for

Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.

Air travel may soon lose its appeal to Nigerians, especially given the number of luggage that have ended up missing or delayed in transit.

Passengers are protesting the huge losses they have incurred from the delay or loss of their luggage, in local and international trips across Nigerian airports in 2024.

Data obtained from the recently released executive summary by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) shows that about 47,923 luggage belonging to passengers were declared missing or delayed in arrival, in both international and domestic flight operations in 2024.

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The report shows that 26 international airlines recorded 47,493 missing or delayed luggage, while only 4 international airlines did not record any missing luggage. Of this number, 43,569 were later recovered, while 4,354 remain unaccounted for.

For domestic airlines, 10 recorded 430 missing or delayed luggage, while 5 had no missing luggage. The domestic airlines successfully recovered 429 luggage, while one remains unaccounted for.

Air passenger traffic on the decline

The incident of missing luggage might play a role in reducing passenger traffic, as the NCAA data also shows a decline in passenger traffic, PUNCH reports.

NCAA had projected an increase in passenger traffic, but the summary for 2024 shows a decline from 15.8 million to 15.65 million passengers.

Passenger accuses airline of luggage theft

One air passenger, Ms. Adediran Williams, told PUNCH that her gold went missing on one such trip, and the airline showed no concern to address the issue.

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Ms. Williams noted that she had declared her cash and gold at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, and they were recorded before departing for London. She was therefore shocked when it went missing by the time of arrival in London.

She lamented that despite all her complaints, nothing was done about the matter, and she had since stopped putting valuables in her luggage.

Another passenger at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Mr. Idris Olakunle, also complained of similar experiences costing him valuables worth millions of naira.

He urged the regulators to sit up and put the airline operators on their toes, so that they can stop being careless with people's luggage.

Recall that Seun Kuti, the controversial son of ace Afrobeat singer, Seun Anikulapo-Kuti, also called out KLM Royal Dutch Airlines over his missing luggage.

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NCAA imposes sanctions for missing luggage

In related news, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, had promised to impose fines of $170 and N10,000 on foreign and local airlines, respectively, for delayed passengers’ luggage.

The NCAA also stated that affected passengers could claim up to $1,000 for missing luggage on domestic flights and $1,288 Special Drawing Rights for international flights.

NCAA pledged that it would not take it lightly with airlines that flout the rules or treat customers unfairly.

Source: Legit.ng