No More Flight Delay: Keyamo Sends Strong Message to Air Peace, Others Over Cancelled Flights

• The aviation minister has disclosed that Nigerian airlines will begin to pay for delayed or cancelled flights
• According to the minister, flights that are found wanting will also be published in the media every week
• This followed a report that over half of the domestic flights in Nigeria were delayed or cancelled

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over three years of experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

By January 2024, aviation regulators will start forcing airlines to reimburse customers for cancelled or delayed flights, Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo has reported.

The minister made this known at the National Assembly Joint Committee on Aviation to defend his ministry's budget for the 2024 fiscal year, according to a PremiumTimes report.

The minister's decision is on the back of a report that over 50% of the domestic flights in the country were delayed in the first quarter of the year, according to data presented by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

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This represents 55% or 10,128 of the total 18,288 domestic flights that were delayed during the period.

Sanctions to be issued

Keyamo stated that many airlines that delay or cancel flights will be published weekly in the media as part of the compensation scheme.

Expressing concerns on the matter, he stated that he had discussed the treatment of Nigerians with the customer's satisfactory commission.

He also requested the list of airlines that do not fly as of when due to be published weekly by January.

This includes information detailing cancelled delayed flights, how many hours it was delayed, and others.

As part of compensation, the minister suggested that a discount will be deducted from the flight tickets of airlines found wanting for delaying passengers.

He said:

“For every delay, there is a report, an actual report by the regulator. What did they do? Did they pay compensation? And if they didn’t pay compensation, we have said that the other way to get compensation if they can return cash is that once the passenger is buying the next ticket, it must be given a rebate. That passenger must be given a 50% rebate or 40% rebate because there must be a rebate.”

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Legit.ng earlier reported that the NCAA warned pilots and airline operators to take the necessary precautions over envisaged hazardous weather conditions this season.

In the statement signed by NCAA's Director General, Musa Nuhu said flights would be delayed, diverted, or cancelled where visibility falls below the prescribed aerodromes operating minimal.

"This is nonsense": Stranded passengers demand refund from Air Peace after flight delay

According to Legit.ng reports, some Air Peace customers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos lost patience and aggressively demanded a refund of their airfare after their flight was delayed for many hours.

The departure time for flight P47140 from Lagos to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, was initially scheduled for 7 a.m., however, it was changed to 10 a.m.

Air Peace staff quietly informed Some of the passengers that the flight had been further postponed until 11 a.m.

Source: Legit.ng