AIR PASSENGERS TO BE COMPENSATED FOR DELAYED AND CANCELLED FLIGHTS SOON
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka, yesterday said his ministry has concluded plans to ensure that air passengers in Nigeria were compensated for delayed and cancelled flights by airline operators in the country, Nigeria Bulletin reports.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Chidoka was speaking at the official inauguration of the Aviation Passengers Service (APS) Portal and Helpline Number in Abuja designed to enhance efficiency and provide first hand information on the operations of airlines and the activities of the aviation sector in the country.
He said, “It is not enough to say that flights are delayed; we will make sure that failure to take off after 15 minutes will be considered as delay and after one hour passengers will be entitled to some compensation.
“We will force the airlines to compensate passengers after six hours delay, and if there is a delay for 12 hours, airlines will be compelled to provide passengers with accommodation for the night.’’
He said the ministry had made its own commitments to ensure that mails and applications from the airlines were treated within 24 hours.
He also disclosed that the ministry has finalised plansthat plans to make it mandatory for passengers using Nigerian airports to carry a means of identification.
According to him, passengers using local flights must either have their international passport, driver’s licence or their national identity card as a means of identification.
“What this means is that any passenger that misbehaves at the airport could be refrained from using any aircraft in Nigeria because with the identity, the passenger will not be allowed to get boarding pass.
“Passengers are therefore advised to behave in an orderly manner at the airport and ensure that rules and regulations are obeyed.’’ he concluded.
Chidoka recently revealed that the Federal Government plans to build five new domestic airports in some states as part of efforts to ensure easy movement of passengers and cargoes across the states.
