Nosa Aituamen-Osula
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting passenger rights and ensuring that all airlines operating in Nigeria adhere to industry regulations.
The Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA Mr. Michael Achimugu gave this assurance after a meeting with Kenyan Airways Executives over allegations of mistreatment involving a Nigerian passenger, Gloria Omisore.
At the meeting, the airline’s Country Manager, James Nganga; Station Manager, Eric Mukira; and Duty Manager, Ezenwa Ehumadu apologized for the incident and misunderstanding admitting the airline’s faults.
During the meeting, it was revealed that Omisore had contacted Kenya Airways on December 7, 2024, via phone to confirm her eligibility to travel on the Manchester-Paris-Nairobi-Lagos (inbound) and Lagos-Nairobi-Paris-Manchester (outbound) route.
Despite informing the airline that she was a Nigerian citizen with a British residence permit but no Schengen visa, she was allegedly assured she could fly.
Relying on this information, she purchased her ticket and completed her inbound journey without any issue.
However, for her outbound flight, Kenya Airways allowed her to board in Lagos despite her need for a transit visa for Paris, an oversight that was only discovered upon her arrival in Nairobi.
To rectify the situation, the airline offered her a direct flight to London at no additional cost but required her to endure an extra 10-hour wait, in addition to the 17-hour layover she had already experienced.
Exhausted and reportedly bleeding, Omisore requested accommodation and medical care, arguing that the error was on the airline’s part, when her request was denied, a dispute ensued between her and the airline staff.
Kenya Airways had initially issued a statement suggesting that Omisore refused to be rerouted to London and acted aggressively by throwing sanitary pads.
However, the airline has since admitted that this was a misrepresentation of events and has apologized for the misleading statement.
It also acknowledged that regardless of whether the disputed phone call took place, the airline was responsible for identifying the visa requirement issue before allowing Omisore to board in Lagos.
The NCAA has granted Kenya Airways 48 hours to verify their call logs to determine if Omisore was misinformed.
The NCAA also criticized Kenya Airways for failing to comply with regulations requiring all airlines operating in Nigeria to maintain trained customer service officers capable of handling such disputes.
The agency emphasized that proper adherence to these regulations could have prevented the escalation of the situation.
Mr. Achimugu condemned the behavior of a Kenya Airways staff member who reportedly mocked Omisore by telling her to “call your president,” insinuating that nothing would be done to hold the airline accountable.
The NCAA questioned whether such conduct aligned with Kenya Airways’ customer service standards.
In response, the airline’s country manager admitted that the remark was inappropriate and issued an apology, though he stated that any disciplinary action would be determined by the airline’s headquarters in Nairobi.