The Agency stated that misleading passengers with longer refund timelines undermines regulatory authority and is unfair to consumers.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned domestic airlines against delaying passengers’ ticket refunds longer than the official 14-day timeframe.
Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection at NCAA, made the announcement on Monday via his official X account.
The warning followed reports that some carriers were in the habit of telling passengers that refunds could take up to four weeks.
According to him, a four-week timeframe violates Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023, which stipulates that refunds must be completed within 14 days.
“Domestic airlines NEED to stop telling passengers that their refund process takes 4 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,” the statement read in part.
It advised passengers who experience delays in refunds to forward communications from airlines to michael.achimugu@ncaa.gov.ng, ifueko.abdulmalik@ncaa.gov.ng, and cpd@ncaa.gov.ng.
The Agency stated that misleading passengers with longer refund timelines undermines regulatory authority and is unfair to consumers. (Channels)
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