The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has indicated that it may impose stricter penalties on domestic airlines over persistent flight delays and inadequate passenger handling, stressing that repeated inefficiencies will no longer be overlooked.
This position was made known on Thursday through a post on X by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu.
He said, “We will be pushing for stiffer penalties against domestic airlines for chronic delays. We have protected operators, stood for them, explained for them, been insulted for them, and supported them because it is the right thing to do.
“The majority of flight disruptions are not caused by the airlines, but recent events justify the need for heavier ramifications where there is recurrent inefficiency.”
Achimugu noted that the significant support given to airline operators by the current administration and aviation authorities should naturally lead to better service delivery.
He said, “The natural law of nature is that when an industry is supported by government in the way that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done; in the way that the Honourable Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, SAN has done; in the way that the DGCA, Capt. Chris Najomo has done, in the way that our Consumer Protection Department has done, the least expectation of reciprocity is for remarkable improvements to reflect in flight operations and some other aspects.”
While acknowledging the difficult operating environment within the aviation sector, he maintained that some shortcomings were no longer acceptable. Achimugu stated, “One understands, and has reiterated the challenging operating environment that operators have to meander in an industry that is starting to improve in terms of policies driven by the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development (read the CTC Practice Direction, IDERA, Consumer Protection awareness, etc), but there are some lapses that are inexcusable.”
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He expressed concern over airlines’ failure to adequately inform passengers during delays and cancellations, describing poor communication as a major trigger of tensions at airports.
“Immeasurable times, I have stressed the need for airlines to improve communication during flight delays and cancellations. I have stressed the need to comply with the regulations in the areas of HOTAC and First Needs Compensation,” he said.
According to him, inadequate information management and weak passenger relations have contributed significantly to violent incidents at airport terminals. “The failure to manage information properly, as well as poor passenger handling, has been responsible for the majority of passenger violence at our airport terminals.”
Drawing attention to international practices, Achimugu referenced a recent development in the United States, saying, “Not too long ago, the US authorities fined JetBlue airline to the tune of two million dollars for ‘chronic delayed flights,’ the first of its kind in the US.”
He added that aviation regulations must remain responsive to emerging realities in the industry. “Regulations may evolve as challenges take expression and impact the industry.”
He assured passengers and operators that the NCAA remained committed to fairness, accountability, and the protection of stakeholders’ rights. “The NCAA is committed to protecting the rights of all stakeholders, and a review that strengthens the Authority to enforce compliance for both passengers and operators has to be done.”
The planned review comes amid increasing complaints from air travellers over frequent delays across Nigeria’s aviation sector.
Data from the NCAA show that domestic airlines operated 17,731 flights between July and September 2025, an increase from 15,989 flights recorded in the same period in 2024. Flight cancellations dropped significantly to 80 in the third quarter of 2025, compared with 251 cancellations in the corresponding period of the previous year.
Despite this improvement, several disruption incidents were recorded in 2025. In April, Air Peace suspended operations temporarily following a strike by staff of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, leading to widespread delays at major airports such as Lagos and Abuja.
In May, passengers complained of repeated delays involving Max Air flights, particularly on routes from Kaduna and Kano, with some departures pushed late into the night without clear updates, prompting criticism on social media.
Similarly, in June, United Nigeria Airlines faced public backlash after a Lagos–Abuja flight was delayed for over 10 hours, with passengers reporting a lack of official communication throughout the waiting period.
