Just one week after purchasing tickets worth N274,690 with Dana Air, a Nigerian airline, for herself and her family, Bunmi Omotesho, a civil servant living in Abuja, learnt that their tickets had been cancelled in April.
Omotesho told FIJ on Friday, that the airline informed her that it cancelled their Abuja-Lagos tickets due to operational audits by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the regulatory body for aviation in Nigeria.
She further explained that she had since written to the airline requesting a refund, but Dana Air had not only failed to oblige her request but also stopped responding to her emails.
READ ALSO: Dana Air Owes Another Civil Servant N129,600 After Cancelling April Flight
“On April 18, I paid Dana Air for the tickets of four people for flights scheduled for May 12,” Omotesho told FIJ.
“However, two weeks before our trip, I received an email from the airline saying that the flights had been cancelled.
“Almost immediately, I reached out to them for a refund but they did not budge. I started to write emails to them but they have stopped responding altogether.”
Omotesho is still requesting a ticket refund from Dana Air.
Omotesho requesting ticket refund from Dana Air.
Omotesho’s family ticket with the airline.
READ MORE: How Dana Air Held Nigerians to Ransom After 2 Safety Suspensions in 2 Years
Kingsley Ezenwa, Dana Air’s communication consultant, told FIJ on Wednesday that the airline was working towards resolving all its backlogs. He attributed the delay in refunds to the aviation company’s reduced staff strength.
“The task five people would usually perform is now being carried out by one person. The work is slower but everyone will get their refund,” Ezenwa told FIJ.
Ezenwa also said that the refunds were not limited to customers whose tickets were cancelled by the airline after their Air Operator Certificate (AOC) was suspended, but included customers expecting refunds from them before the suspension.
Meanwhile, Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, told FIJ that it had given the airline an ultimatum of two weeks to clear its refund backlog.
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