By Joyce Ekeh
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has ordered domestic airlines experiencing aircraft-on-ground, AOG, situations to reduce their flight schedules, warning that operating beyond available capacity could worsen delays, cancellations and passenger hardship.
The directive comes amid growing disruptions to domestic air travel, with the regulator insisting that airlines must align their schedules with the aircraft actually available for service rather than expose passengers to avoidable operational failures.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, disclosed the position in a press statement on X handle, stressing that airlines with aircraft grounded for technical or other safety-related reasons were expected to adjust their operations accordingly.
He said: “If an airline has its machines AOG, it is instructed to cut down the size of its operations to avoid causing excessive, avoidable pain to passengers. It goes without saying.”
Achimugu further reminded airlines that passenger welfare obligations remain in force whenever delays occur, saying carriers must provide refreshments, meals and, where applicable, accommodation once delays reach specified thresholds.
He stated: “If a delay hits two hours, passengers MUST be given light refreshment. On the six-hour mark, passengers are entitled to a proper meal. This is non-negotiable.”
According to him, accommodation must also be provided when a delay extends into the night.
“If that delay lasts until 10pm, accommodation should be provided, except where the passenger resides in that city; even that is subject to certain factors,” he added.
The NCAA’s intervention effectively puts airlines on notice that aircraft availability must be factored into their published schedules, particularly when technical faults, maintenance requirements, adverse weather or other operational incidents reduce fleet capacity.
Air Peace apologises
Meanwhile, Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest airline, has apologised to passengers affected by a recent wave of delays and cancellations across its network.
Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace, Oluwatoyin Olajide, attributed the disruptions to a combination of unforeseen operational and safety-related circumstances, including an inadvertent false fire alarm that grounded one aircraft, adverse weather that caused diversions and delays, a bird strike that kept another aircraft on the ground for days, technical issues requiring mandatory checks and maintenance, and delays in the availability of aviation fuel in some instances.
She said the airline understood the inconvenience caused to passengers and was taking steps to restore stability across its operations.
Olajide, however, stressed that Air Peace would not compromise safety to maintain its published schedules.
She stated: “In Air Peace, safety remains our highest priority. We will NEVER compromise the safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft.”
She added: “An aircraft will not be released for service until our technical teams and all relevant safety procedures are satisfied that it is safe to fly.”
According to her, safety considerations would always take precedence over operational convenience whenever an aircraft is affected by weather, technical faults, bird strikes or other incidents.
“Where weather, technical conditions, a bird strike or any other safety-related circumstance requires an aircraft to remain on the ground, that decision will always take precedence over operational convenience,” she said.
Olajide said the airline was already taking corrective measures to minimise the impact of unforeseen disruptions on passengers.
She stated: “We are taking immediate steps to stabilise our operations, strengthen our contingency measures and improve our communication and responsiveness when unforeseen challenges arise.”
