ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued a strong warning to domestic airlines against arbitrarily extending the refund period for cancelled or unused tickets to four weeks.
According to the NCAA spokesperson, Michael Achimugu, such actions directly violate the agency’s existing regulations.
In a statement shared on his X handle on Monday, Achimugu stressed that the rules governing ticket refunds are clear and must be adhered to.
Citing Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023, he explained that passengers are entitled to receive refunds within 14 days of submitting a formal request not four weeks as some airlines have allegedly informed customers.
READ ALSO: FG Cancels Proposed Merger Of NCAA, NAMA
He stated, “Domestic airlines NEED to stop telling passengers that their refund process takes four weeks. There can’t be two captains-in-command on an aircraft.”
“The NCAA regulations are clear about the timeframe for ticket refunds, and it is 14 days. Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023 remains in force. Operators cannot create a different rule in this regard,” Achimugu added.
He condemned the rising pattern of non-compliance by some airlines, describing it as a duplication of aviation rules and a direct challenge to the NCAA’s authority.
He further noted that such behaviour is unprofessional and unfair to passengers.
To ensure stricter enforcement, Achimugu urged travellers to report any violations.
He said, “To all passengers: if you apply for a refund and an airline tells you that it would take 4 weeks, kindly forward that communication to michael.achimugu@ncaa.gov.ng, ifueko.abdulmalik@ncaa.gov.ng, and cpd@ncaa.gov.ng immediately.
“Enough of this. We cannot all claim to be working for the improvement of the industry and be duplicating rules in a manner that undermines the Authority and is unfair to passengers.