TheCable

Festus Keyamo, the minister for aviation and aerospace development, says domestic carriers will soon begin to pay compensation to customers for cancelled or delayed flights.

Keyamo spoke on flight disruption challenges during a meeting with the airline operators of Nigeria (AON) in Abuja on Monday.

In 2022, domestic airlines recorded 47,144 delayed flights, with Airpeace, Overland Airways, and Azman Air taking the top spots.

Speaking on the issue, Keyamo said the federal government may soon start to compel airlines to compensate travellers as stipulated by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Act.

“On delayed flights, I want to speak for the ordinary Nigerians who complain every day about delayed, cancelled flights. I know you have said all your reasons. You have blamed the government and a few things we do. But I also want to say that it is not all the time that it is government,” Keyamo said.

“At times, you say you were waiting for passengers to finish passing through the screening machine. At times, they have finished passing through screening machines. They are waiting in the lounge for five hours and you cancel your flight.

“So, you see, after some time, we will start implementing the provisions of the NCAA Act. You know, Nigerians don’t know there is compensation for delay. If it is an act of God, you cannot pay. But if it is human fault, the NCAA Act says you will pay. So, for all airline operators, while I have praised and supported you, I will also support Nigerians. You will pay them. After some time, I will put my feet on the ground. Pay them when you delay, cancel their flight.”

Keyamo urged the airline operators to maintain stable communication channels that enable passengers to get cancellation notices promptly.