According to Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace, airlines will start paying customers for cancelled or delayed flights beginning January 2024.
The minister defended his ministry’s budget for the fiscal year 2024 in a testimony given on Tuesday before the joint aviation committee of the national assembly.
According to Keyamo, aviation regulators will start mandating that airlines that postpone or cancel flights provide a cash compensation to customers.
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The minister said that a weekly list of offenders will be made public as part of the new compensation programme, which aims to encourage transparency in the sector.
“With reference to the treatment of Nigerians, I have contacted the Customer Satisfaction Commission. The minister stated, “I am so concerned that I have returned to the committee.”
“And I mentioned that in my last speech, which I delivered at our retreat in Warri and our stakeholders gathering in Lagos.
“I requested that you release a weekly list of airlines that fail to operate on time, cancel or postpone flights, indicate the number of hours of delay, provide compensation, and describe any regulatory actions taken against these airlines. That will begin in January.
“The regulator actually produces a report for each delay. How did they act? Did they make a payment of compensation? And in the event that they failed to provide compensation, we have stated that, should they be able to restore cash, the customer must receive a refund when they purchase their subsequent ticket.
“A rebate of fifty percent or forty percent is required for that passenger because a rebate is necessary.”
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Act specifies the compensation of travellers, according to a citation made by the minister in October 2023.
Speaking further on the restructuring of Nigeria’s airport during the national parliament hearing, Keyamo stated that giving incentives to investors is the best way to grow the nation’s airports.
“Private collaboration needs to take centre stage. We don’t have the money to handle the airports, so it’s not even negotiable,” he declared.
We will offer the people what we want in exchange for a concession—not what they want. We must choose what it is we want. What unites us all is the type and standard of the concession.
“We want to move forward, but before we do, I want each of us to take a seat and choose the most capable hands.
“Instead of raising our offer to tier two, we should search the entire world for what would be best for Nigeria. Investors of the highest calibre should visit Nigeria and construct our entrance.
The minister of aviation issued a warning to chief executive officers (CEOs) last month about the importance of performance and delivery in order to prevent termination of their positions.
Keyamo urged participants to concentrate on resolving the issues facing the sector.
