Reps Want Airlines to Pay for Flight Delays, Cancellations

Owing to no clear compensation plan for flight delays and cancellations, the House of Representatives is moving to make the aviation sector initiate a policy that compels domestic airline operators to address the inconveniences experienced by passengers affected by such substandard services.

The lawmakers who want a refund of airfares or other forms of compensation for the affected passengers have mandated the House Committee on Aviation to push for the policy through the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which has already introduced penalties for airlines canceling or delaying flights and, engaging with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development to ensure the domestic airlines desist from the prevalent acts.

Honorable Chinedu Emeka Martins who moved the motion at plenary is worried by the frequency and severity of flight delays in Nigeria’s aviation sector, which are causing disruption and distress to air travelers.

He supported the motion with data from a report by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which indicates a persistently high level of delays and cancellations at Nigerian airports. NCAA’s latest report, published in July 2023, revealed that 10,059 of the 18,288 domestic flights, representing 55 per cent were delayed or canceled between January and March 2023, while a previous report from the same source, published in July 2022, showed that 11,083 domestic flights out of the total 17,137 between April and June 2022, indicating 64 per cent were delayed or canceled.

He argued that continuous delays and cancellations could result in extra transportation expenses, missed appointments, and lost revenue, in addition to giving passengers emotional stress and frustration while posing unique challenges such as difficulties in obtaining assistance to persons with disabilities, the elderly, and those with limited financial resources.

Although the aviation industry has been severely impacted by economic conditions, including inflation, supply chain disruptions, and high fuel prices, the lawmakers however noted that section 14 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), requires the government to protect the rights of its citizens, including the right to compensation in the event of a flight delay, and that airlines should be held accountable for any failure to meet this obligation and that passengers should be compensated if a flight is delayed for reasons outside of their control.

While the NCAA is commended for introducing penalties that say the airlines are not liable to pay compensation if the delay or cancellation is attributed to natural occurrences, but liable if it is a human fault, the lawmakers felt the penalties are inadequate to address the inconveniences experienced by the affected passengers. 

It would be recalled that the aviation minister, Festus Keyamo at a meeting with the airline operators on Monday, October 9, 2023, said the federal government will soon issue an order, compelling airline operators to start paying compensation to passengers for delayed and canceled flights not attributed to natural occurrences.