THE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has sanctioned RwandAir for violating consumer protection regulations after the airline failed to resolve a passenger’s baggage complaint within the stipulated timeframe.
News Point Nigeria reports that the airline was fined N15 million and directed to replace the passenger’s damaged bag as well as pay $170 as first-need compensation, in line with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
The sanction was disclosed on Friday by Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, in a post on X.
“The NCAA has sanctioned Rwand Air for consumer protection-related infractions,” Achimugu said.
“The airline has been fined a sum of FIFTEEN MILLION NAIRA for its failure to resolve a baggage issue within stipulated timeframe.”
In addition to the N15 million fine, the NCAA directed RwandAir to replace the passenger’s damaged bag and pay $170 as first-need compensation, in line with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
The latest sanction comes after the aviation authority warned on February 11, 2025, that it would sanction more airlines that continued to violate its regulations.
The announcement also comes more than a month after the authority penalised five airlines for similar consumer protection violations.
In December 2024, the NCAA sanctioned Air Peace, Ethiopian Airlines, Arik Air, Aero Contractors and Royal Air Maroc for various violations of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
The violations included failure to refund passengers within the stipulated timeframe, non-responsiveness to the authority’s directives, missing and mishandled luggage, short-landed baggage, as well as issues relating to flight delays and cancellations.
The NCAA had also imposed a N6 million sanction on Saudi Airlines over consumer protection violations.
The authority said the penalty followed the airline’s failure to resolve several pending issues and comply with the NCAA’s determinations, despite being given additional time to do so.
The latest action is part of the NCAA’s continuing enforcement of passenger protection regulations, with the authority recently reiterating that airlines would be held accountable for breaches of operational and consumer protection requirements.