On Tuesday, travellers on an Egypt Airline (MS877) flight from Dubai to Abuja via Cairo were stranded at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport due to their inability to retrieve their bags.
The passengers’ baggage were missing when the aircraft touched down in Abuja from Cairo at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
After standing in line for several hours to receive their baggage, some travellers were told to come back on Thursday to retrieve their possessions.
Read Also: NAF airstrike successfully neutralizes ‘Ali Kachalla’ and his accomplices in Niger
Few passengers managed to get their items from the airport after several hours of waiting.
A FAAN representative informed the waiting passengers, “We are sorry there are no more luggage in the aircraft; kindly come on Thursday to claim your luggage.”
The inconvenience created by the airline’s inability to transport the luggage on Tuesday afternoon was bemoaned by a passenger who claimed to have encountered a similar problem in the past.
Many travellers who were meant to board a connecting flight to continue their journey to other areas of Nigeria were left stranded at the airport, according to a PREMIUM TIMES correspondent who was among the impacted passengers.
“I’m taking an aeroplane to Port Harcourt; I’m not staying in Abuja. What is it that they desire from me? A woman traveller bemoaned.
“It’s really annoying. Moreover, this is not the first time. They were mistreating travellers at their airports in Cairo, so they came here expecting more disappointment. However, nobody will question this airline.
Filling out the Property Irregularity Report (PIR) form for checked baggage was required of the impacted passengers.
FAAN and NCAA discuss
Mohammed, an officer in charge of operations for the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), told passengers to lodge complaints with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) when our correspondent went to the airport to lodge an official complaint.
He continued by saying that there are a number of reasons why airlines don’t notify customers when they can’t bring their bags on board.
Many people will not board the aircraft if they are informed that their luggage would not be arriving with them. That might be the cause, he continued, of their failure to notify you all.
An employee with the name tag “O. U Aboh” at the NCAA passenger assistance station stated that a complaint could not be filed until it is verified that the luggage is gone.
After 21 days, he said, travellers can file complaints using the PIR form they filled out, which will be utilised to track down the missing baggage.
Right now, there is nothing we can do. Simply wait. He stated, “They will write an email outlining what transpired.
Tuesday night’s attempts to contact the airline’s management were unsuccessful. Officials from the airline were not at the airport, and they did not reply to an email that was sent to them.
