Local airlines may be in for hard times and an uncertain future as more customers are heading to the law court to demand huge compensations for alleged abuses in the sector.
The travelling public that had for so long bottled-up complaints are letting out on flight delays, cancellations and other alleged rights violations, but in a manner that will severely hurt the beleaguered operators.
The operators though regretted the frosty relationship; they said aggrieved passengers would have reacted positively, if they understood the processes of safe flight operations.
Globally, civil aviation is a high-end and complex business set up that statutorily tries to avoid legal fireworks and its distractions. To this end, international protocol provides for internal dispute resolution mechanisms, especially between the operator and consumers, through the consumer protection department and complaint desks at airports.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) seem to have more complaint desks at airports than the number of customer grievances ever resolved. Unimpressed by the laidback disposition of regulators, dissatisfied travellers are seeking legal alternative.
This week, a civil society organisation, Disability Rights Protection Initiative, sued Dana Air Limited at the Federal High Court, Enugu, over alleged discrimination against a physically challenged passenger, Gloria Nwogbo.
The group is demanding N550 million as compensation for refusing and denying Nwogbo from boarding their airline on the grounds that she was disabled, describing the action as “inhuman, degrading and discriminatory.”
Earlier, a lawyer, Emeka Ugwuonye, declared a mission to sue Air Peace airline over seven hours of flight delay. Ugwonye demanded compensation after accusing the airline of delaying his flight, which was scheduled for 4:25 pm until 11:43 pm. He said eventually, his flight arrived in Lagos from Abuja by 12:33am after his flight was rescheduled about four times.
In November, some members of the House of Representatives tabled a N5 billion suit against Azman Air Services Limited over flight delays.
There’s a raft of legal hurdles awaiting local airlines. It’s high time they improve their services.
