THE Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has clarified that airline passengers are entitled to certain forms of support when flights are delayed or cancelled.
The FCCPC stated that passengers should be provided with refreshments and airtime during prolonged delays, while accommodation and transportation may be offered in specific circumstances, particularly when flights are abruptly cancelled.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief monitored by News Point Nigeria, the FCCPC Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, explained that airlines have clear obligations to passengers experiencing delays.
“If your flight is delayed, you are supposed to be given refreshments. After some more hours of delay, you are supposed to be given airtime,” he said during Tuesday’s edition of the programme.
He further noted that, based on existing regulations, passengers may be considered to be in distress during extended delays, thereby justifying additional support.
“From what we understand from the books and the law, you are supposed to be given airtime because you could be seen to be at least in distress. So you will be required to be assisted to that extent,” Ijagwu added.
The FCCPC official also explained that in situations involving sudden flight cancellations, airlines could be required to provide transportation and, in some cases, accommodation for affected passengers.
“When it gets to cancelling the flight abruptly, and you had kept consumers all through that time, it’s required even outside of the law. Even if you were in other climes, you could tell that in such a situation, just like you mentioned, transport will be provided because the airport is quite far from the town or city,” he said.
“Apart from that, accommodation could be provided in certain instances. So, given the exact situation, we could just put this side by side with the exact situation as it would have occurred to be able to determine what should have been given and what has been denied,” he added.
Ijagwu’s remarks come amid continued disruptions in the aviation sector, with passengers across the country experiencing delays, suspensions, and cancellations of flights.
In recent days, photos and videos circulating online have shown stranded passengers at various airports following prolonged delays and sudden cancellations, as airline operators grapple with the scarcity and rising cost of Jet A1 fuel.
At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Monday, several airlines reportedly rescheduled flights multiple times, leaving passengers stranded without provisions for transportation or overnight accommodation.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had last week hinted at a possible increase in airfares, explaining that the move could help domestic airlines sustain operations and prevent a shutdown.
Earlier, the Airline Operators of Nigeria had threatened to suspend operations over the escalating cost of aviation fuel.
According to the operators, the price of Jet A1 fuel surged from about ₦900 per litre as of February 28 to approximately ₦3,300 per litre, representing an increase of more than 300 per cent within weeks.
In a letter addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, Clement Isong, the airlines stated that they had been absorbing the rising costs out of “patriotism and in the spirit of service to the nation,” but warned that the burden has become unsustainable.
“Airline revenues are insufficient to cover the cost of fuel alone,” the letter stated in part.