During a meeting with the heads of agencies under the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Minister Festus Keyamo announced that the federal government has required airlines in the country to compensate travelers for delayed and canceled flights. Mr. Keyamo emphasized that airlines that fail to comply with this order will have to pay compensation for flight cancellations and delays. He stated that the government is aware of the struggles Nigerians face with delayed and canceled flights and is considering ways to enforce the laws regarding compensation for affected travelers.
He added that grounding the airline or taking them to court would only exacerbate the problem. Therefore, airlines must compensate passengers if the reason for the delay or cancellation is their fault, and if they don’t have cash back, they must get a rebate when they buy the next ticket. To this end, Mr. Keyamo has set up a committee to develop a code that airlines can use when passengers want to buy their next ticket.
Mr. Keyamo also directed the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to prepare a weekly catalog of canceled flights, and he ordered the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau to conclude all incidents of air accidents and mishaps within the next ten days. Finally, he expressed his commitment to ensuring passenger satisfaction and the safety of all air travelers.