The Senate has invited the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), the Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and airline operators to unravel the circumstances behind incessant flight delays and cancellations.
The invitation of the key stakeholders in the aviation sector is aimed at finding lasting solutions to the problem.
The resolution was sequel to a motion moved by Senator Abdulfatai Buhari (APC-Oyo) during Wednesday’s plenary.
The motion was tagged: “Incessant Delayed and Cancelled flights by Airline Operators in Nigeria.”
Moving the motion, Buhari said that series of reportage from both the print and electronic media showed incessant delay and cancellation of flights by airline operators in the country.
“This development is worrisome as air travel is one of the most reliable, dependable and quicker means of transportation often undertaken for business/official purposes and to keep to other scheduled appointments which are usually time bound,” he said.
Buhari said that unwarranted flight delays and cancellations would be counter-productive to the socio-economic growth and development of the country.
He said the quests for economic diversification and foreign direct investments, which were part of the current administration’s policy thrust, would remain an illusion if the country’s aviation industry fell short of acceptable best practices across the globe.
“Part 19 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Regulations of 2023 makes provisions for consumer protection in the Civil Aviation industry in Nigeria.
“However, enforcement has been an issue, as most Nigerians are not even aware that they are entitled to compensation for time lost due to unnecessary delays.
“That’s why there’s the need for NCAA to activate this aspect of its regulation so that airline operators will sit up and be alive to their responsibilities,” he said.
Supporting the motion, Senate Minority Whip, Senator Abba Moro, recalled his experience with Nigerian airlines and the negative impacts that they could have.
“I think that it is high time we took very stern stance on some of these issues because it throws up the problem of our regulatory agencies,” he said.
