Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s minister of aviation and aerospace development, gave all airlines operating under the Nigerian Civil and Aviation Authority (NCAA) till Friday to speak to the refund of customers whose flights were cancelled.
Keyamo said this during the launch of the NCAA consumer protection website on Thursday, but the airlines and the NCAA had said nothing at the time of publishing this report.
“For the airlines that have not refunded passenger’s money, there must be a public statement by the end of Friday latest. Let the public know what is happening to that money,” Keyamo was quoted by Daily Trust.
“I know you have reached a resolution about that. Let’s not pretend as if we are not hearing anything about this. People bought tickets before the airlines ran into troubled waters. What happened to their money? What plans do you have to refund them? This is part of consumer protection.”
READ ALSO: ‘I Want My Money’ — Customers Challenge Weak NCAA Statement After Dana Air’s Deadline Miss
In April, a Dana Air plane flying passengers from Abuja to Lagos veered off the runway into a field close to the landing area. Barely 24 hours after the incident, the NCAA suspended Dana Air’s operations.
During that period, Dana Air cancelled customers’ flights, many of which FIJ has reported.
In September, FIJ shared Aliu Emmanuel’s story. Emmanuel, a customer, planned to transport his parents from Abuja to Lagos in April using Dana Air.
“It was a return trip for my dad and a one-way trip for my mum,” Emmanuel told FIJ.
READ ALSO: Toothless? NCAA’s 2-Week Refund Deadline Missed by Dana Air
FIJ has also reported on numerous times that emails sent to Dana Air were responded to with “recipient inbox full” prompts.
Dana Air’s X account has been deactivated for over a month.
Emmanuel confirmed to FIJ on Saturday that his N212,000 was yet to be paid.
FIJ contacted the NCAA consumer protection department on Saturday but their line was switched off.
The NCAA had produced no official statement in response to Keyamo’s deadline at press time.
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