The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has vowed to discipline Qatar Airways for allegedly mistreating Nigerian passengers.
Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of NCAA,
Michael Achimugu, said this in a statement via his verified X handle on Friday.
Achimugu stated that the airline had failed to comply with
consumer protection regulations under Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
He recounted a recent incident involving a Nigerian
passenger accused by a Qatar Airways cabin crew member of sexual harassment
during boarding in Lagos for a flight to the United States via Doha.
According to him, the airline failed to report the
allegation in Nigeria before taking it to Doha, where the passenger was
arrested, detained for 18 hours, fined, and compelled to sign a document
written solely in Arabic.
Qatar Airways allegedly refused to continue the passenger’s
journey, forcing him to purchase another ticket at considerable financial and
reputational cost.
The regulator threatened penalties against the airline for
repeatedly disregarding its directives.
He also revealed that Royal Air Maroc and Saudi Air have
been cautioned for similar infractions and risk heavy sanctions if they fail to
comply with the regulator’s decisions.
“The airline has carried on as though Nigerian passengers
and the NCAA are not deserving of their respect, dignified treatment, and
compliance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023. This will be brought to a
stop immediately.
“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,” the statement said.
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