The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has raised serious concerns about the growing trend of airlines falsely scheduling departure times. The agency has issued a stern warning to airlines, demanding they cease this practice or face strict regulatory actions.
On Tuesday, Capt. Chris Najomo, the Acting Director General of Civil Aviation in Nigeria, highlighted this issue at the NCAA’s corporate headquarters in Abuja.
He emphasized that the NCAA is now adopting a zero-tolerance policy toward regulatory violations.
“It has come to our notice that some airlines are being reported for advertising deceitful departure times. The NCAA regulation says no airline shall display deceitful passenger departure time at its counter, advert material, or on its website.
“We want to make it very clear that the DGCA has directed monitoring and offenders will face serious regulatory actions,” he asserted.
He noted that the Authority prioritizes safety, discipline, and economic regulation, as demonstrated by the recent suspension of ten PNCF holders for non-compliance with the recertification advisory issued in April 2024.
Najomo stressed that while the NCAA supports airlines in becoming profitable due to their significant economic value, it is crucial that passengers are treated fairly.
Regarding the ease of doing business, Najomo mentioned that the NCAA will continue to improve in this area.
“This is evident in our high score on the Presidential Enabling Business Council (PEBEC) ranking. Recently our sister agency scored 96 percent but the NCAA scored 98.5 percent which is an extremely high score. This is building from the commendable score of 71.04 the NCAA scored during this year’s ICAO Security Audit,” he said.
He concluded with an assurance, “The numbers are improving and we will continue to do what we can to make the industry safer, and more secure for passengers and stakeholders.”
