Airline operators in the country must refund the full cost of travel tickets to passengers after a two-hour delay, the Federal Government has said.

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, made this known on Thursday at the weekly State House Briefing in Aso Villa, Abuja.

He read some of the rights of aviation passengers at the briefing and charged them to demand their rights whenever they are being trampled upon by airlines.

“On domestic flights, delay beyond one hour, carrier should provide refreshment, and one telephone call, or one SMS, or one e-mail. They should send you an SMS or email or call you to say, ‘I am sorry, I am delaying for one hour’.

“Delay for two hours and beyond, the carrier shall reimburse passengers the full volume of their tickets.

“Delay between 10pm and 4am, carrier shall provide hotel accommodation, refreshment, meal, two free calls, SMS, email and transport to-and-fro airport,” Sirika said, adding that the same rules apply for international flights.

The minister, who said his ministry has started sanctioning some airlines who default on consumer rights, however, urged passengers not to be unruly at airports.

Of late, flight cancellations and delays have characterised inter-city air transportation in Nigeria, with many passengers scolding the about 10 commercial airlines operating scheduled flights for keeping them waiting at airports for hours after their scheduled departure time.

The PUNCH had earlier reported that operators of airlines in Nigeria justified the delay and cancellations of domestic flights in the country.

The operators hinged the reason on non-availability and rising cost of aviation fuel, also known as JetA1 and inadequate parking spaces at airports.

The operators, led by the Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, on Tuesday, stated this when they appeared before the Senate Committee on Aviation chaired by Senator Smart Adeyemi.

He also demanded the prosecution of unruly passengers at the Airports.

Other reasons cited by Onyema were non-availability of forex for spare parts and maintenance, sudden change of weather, delay due to VIP movement, inefficient passenger access and facilitation, delay clearance of spare parts from Customs and inadequate screening and exit points at departure.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/airlines-must-refund-100-airfares-to-passengers-after-two-hour-delay-fg/%3famp

Na so I booked Airpeace to Enugu for 7:am last two months and after series of delay, we left Lagos 5:30 PM....All appointments missed and opportunities lost...

Nigerian airlines are rubbish!

Audio refund
Sheybi they'll first have our account details before refund can even happen.

Scammers.

another paper talk

Dem want one engineer to forget spanner inside engine in the name of rushing to beat time.

Nice but to enforce it to law remain

Lalasticlala aero still dey?

Nigerian airlines left the group chat.

Another Audio threat

We shall see

No be Naija again... Abeg makei drink water jare

ok

E get one airline (I no go mention name ) wey don delay my flight for 7 hours before.

One of the most effective Ministers after Amaechi.

Well done Hadi Sirika.

First was his standing up to UAE last week against their nonsensical and "see finish" claim that Nigerians are notorious for fake covid test results (as if many countries aren't fighting the same problem) thereby must undergo multiple tests.

Now he is boldly facing the perennial problem of Airlines impunity with regards indiscriminate flight delays and cancellations. What he has prescribed are global best practices regarding passenger welfare and I expect him to make scapegoats out of some stubborn airlines that think they can disrupt passengers plans and get away with it without compensation and punishment (the most annoying is when they deliberately go missing at the boarding gates to avoid explaining their incompetence).

I celebrate this win for the common Nigerian that can't afford the luxury and flexibility of private jets.

Until e begin happen first...no be just talk

Awesome... Maybe this northern 'agenda' may be a blessing in disguise

Aero will definitely not like this

This is law in a developed country

Comon guys Nigeria Airline Will rather do the opposite

This country with no scope

Where dem don refund money for any late proceedings b4

lol

On a more serious note, how do you do business in this kind of environment?

Well, if they reimburse, does mean your flight is cancelled. Shinkena!

To give orders and making of laws is different from Adherence

This law will only be effective once the big wigs are involved and not in the life of one Emeka or Adebanjo that sold everything and borrow money join to get Visa and Airfare in order to japa out of the contraption for a better life out there

interesting.

you have talk tough, don't let end there put to effect.

also make sure no corner cutting because the airline knows someone that knows someone that knows someone like that like that.

there are always being rules and regulations in this but our corrupt nature as Nigerians has not made them work.

Audio

Okay naaw

I just hope this will not make irresponsible airlines (all those ones that use 2 aircraft to fly 20 flights per day) to force their pilots to fly faulty planes to avoid issuing delay refunds.

Paper policies. Implementation is the problem.

ogododo:


https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/airlines-must-refund-100-airfares-to-passengers-after-two-hour-delay-fg/%3famp

Story story all na story na today....stupid set of leaders....Nigeria who did this to you...

Nice development if it can be enforced