The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has cautioned domestic airlines against informing passengers that ticket refunds take up to four weeks, insisting that such practice violates existing aviation regulations which stipulate a 14-day refund period.
The warning was issued on Monday by the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, in a statement released via X (formerly Twitter).
Achimugu emphasised that the NCAA’s rules under Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023 remain binding and must be strictly followed by all operators.
“Domestic airlines need to stop telling passengers that their refund process takes four weeks. The NCAA regulations are clear about the timeframe for ticket refunds, and it is 14 days. Operators cannot create a different rule in this regard,” he stated.
Read Also: Chaos at abuja airport as sisters fight after missing flight
He urged passengers who receive such four-week refund notifications to forward the communication to the NCAA via official email channels for investigation, adding that the authority would not tolerate actions that undermine its regulatory powers or inconvenience air travellers.
“We cannot all claim to be working for the improvement of the industry and be duplicating rules in a manner that undermines the Authority and is unfair to passengers,” Achimugu said.
The reminder follows growing passenger complaints about delays in ticket refunds arising from flight cancellations and disruptions across several domestic airlines.
The NCAA has repeatedly warned that airlines failing to process refunds within the prescribed timeframe would face sanctions, describing timely refunds as a “low-hanging fruit” for improving customer experience in the aviation sector.
