The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has commenced an investigation into the operations of British Airways, following reports of consistent departure delays spanning three days.
Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, who confirmed the development, said the UK flag carrier had been delaying departure for about three consecutive days since August 27.
The NCAA also said that as part of the investigation, it would inspect all aircraft on the Nigerian route for regulatory compliance under its Foreign Aircraft Safety Assessment Programme.
It said this had resulted in many inconveniences to members of the travelling public.
Amidst the British Airways controversy, Qatar Airways passengers were also stranded at the Abuja airport on Friday following an aborted takeoff of the aircraft.
Achimugu speaking on the British Airways incident, said, “The NCAA has contacted BA and initiated investigation into these frequent delays to establish the root cause of these delays and take appropriate action to ensure passenger rights are protected and also prevent recurrence.
“The investigation will include intensified inspections under the NCAA/ICAO FASAP (Foreign Aircraft Safety Assessment Programme) of all aircraft on the Nigerian route for regulatory compliance.
“The travelling public should be rest assured that the NCAA will do all within its powers to ensure their rights are protected in support of the HMA’S policy to eliminate unnecessary flight delays.”
In the same vein, hundreds of passengers of Qatar Airways were also stranded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as the aircraft they were travelling on, aborted takeoff, following a punctured tyre.
According to a staff member of the airline, Mr Godwin, flight QR 1432 scheduled to depart the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for Doha, capital of Qatar, was heading to the runway where it picked up a nail that deflated one of the front tyres.
“We apologise for the inconvenience, we are in the last stage of the emergency repair of the tyre, as maintenance required, we have to fix both front tyres we will be done in a short while,” he reported appealed.
One of the stranded passengers identified as Mr. Umar said, “It is quite unfortunate that this happened, my concern is about some of us that have connecting flights, I hope this delay won’t affect my business trip.”
Another passenger who pleaded anonymity expressed shock over the incident, wondering why a tyre would pick a nail prior to takeoff.
However, when asked to comment on the Qatar Airways incident, the NCAA spokesperson said he had yet to be aware of the incident and promised to get back to our correspondent.
