NCAA Gives Update as Dana Air CEO Allegedly Leaves Nigeria Without Refunding Unused Ticket Fees
- Jacky Hathiramani, the chief executive officer of Dana Air, left Nigeria without compensating hundreds of Nigerians
- In April 2024, Dana Air was grounded at Lagos's Murtala Muhammed Airport due to a runway 18L skid, which raised safety concerns
- Since the airline was suspended, demonstrations have been held on social media by both staff and passengers
Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has 5-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.
The Chief Executive Officer of Dana Air, Jacky Hathiramani, has moved out of Nigeria without paying hundreds of Nigerians, both customers and staff members, their reimbursement for unused tickets and wages, respectively.
Source: UGC
Dana Air was grounded in April 2024 at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos after skidding runway 18L, raising safety concerns.
The airline was grounded after recording a series of incidents. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority stated that the recent events raised questions about the safety and financial sustainability of airline operations.
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Both employees and passengers have used social media as a platform for protests since it was suspended.
Numerous people have at various points requested assistance from Festus Keyamo, the Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, in order to receive their refunds.
The employees have also physically protested by blocking the entrance gate to the airline's Lagos headquarters.
NCAA speaks
In an interview with The Punch, Michael Achimugu, the NCAA's Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, responded to airlines' unwillingness to issue refunds for unused tickets by implying that Dana Air's owner had departed the country.
Achimugu said that there was currently nothing that could be done about the destiny of the hundreds of passengers and employees that the airline owed.
“For Dana Air, they can’t pay any refund now, because Dana was suspended for poor financial health. That is the situation with Dana Air. And the owner has left the country and it is not our duty to chase him outside the country. I have summoned the airline twice, the owner has left the country and he has fired almost all of his staff. So, for now, there is really no one in the airline that we can hold responsible.
“The case is, If I owe you money and you reported me to the police and I was detained and beaten, if I don’t have the money there will be nothing that can be done and that is the scenario with Dana at the moment.”
Foreign airlines sell tickets in dollars
Legit.ng reported that the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has said that some foreign airlines still charge dollars for their tickets.
The association, however, petitioned the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) over the issue, insisting that the development breached Nigerian law.
Representatives of NANTA, led by its national president, Yinka Folami, disclosed during a consumer protection summit in Lagos that it had petitioned the NCAA over the development.
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Source: Legit.ng
