The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has urged domestic airlines to begin blacklisting unruly passengers as a deterrent against growing incidents of in-flight and airport misconduct.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr. Michael Achimugu, made the call in Abuja during a stakeholder meeting with representatives of local airlines, including Arik, Ibom Air, Aero Contractors, United Nigeria, Green Africa, Max Air, Rano Air, ValueJet, Air Peace, and Overland Airways.
According to Achimugu, airlines often complain about disruptive passengers but hesitate to take decisive action. He stressed that blacklisting offenders would send a strong message that misconduct will no longer be tolerated.
“All airline staff must be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of the situation,” he said, warning passengers against resorting to assault or unruly behavior over flight disruptions. He further advised aggrieved travelers to escalate complaints about cancellations, delays, or poor service directly to the NCAA for redress.
“Passengers are obsessed with rights but not responsibilities. Paying for a service doesn’t give anyone the right to assault or harass airline staff. We will continue to educate the public, but also protect airline workers,” Achimugu noted.
The meeting also addressed broader concerns including refund and compensation delays, enforcement of phone switch-off rules, adoption of RFID bag tags, flight monitoring technology, and protection of cabin crew.
Speaking at the event, Mrs. Ifueko Abdulmalik, Senior Special Assistant to the Director-General of Civil Aviation, criticized airlines for rescheduling flights without timely communication, care, or reprotection for affected passengers. She highlighted escalating complaints about refund delays, urging carriers to comply with regulations on refunds and short-landed baggage.
Airline representatives, in turn, expressed frustration over frequent abuse of check-in staff and called for stronger protections. They also raised concerns about poor airport infrastructure managed by FAAN, insisting urgent upgrades are needed to improve passenger experience.
NCAA to Airlines: Blacklist Unruly Passengers to Curb Misconduct
