The Federal Government through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is ready to sanction any airline that delays ticket refunds to passengers.

The aviation body’s stance is against the backdrop of a barrage of complaints by travellers against the erring airlines amid varying practices by airlines that have taken the joy out of air travel, including skyrocketing airfares.

The agency said failure to comply with Part 19 of NCAA regulations will, henceforth, attract immediate sanctions.

The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimug, in a statement posted on his X handle on Monday, warned that airlines that fail to pay refunds within the stipulated time frame of 14 days of the NCAA regulations 2023 will attract immediate sanction.

He explained that he had spent an entire year engaging airlines, listening to their challenges, and partnering with them to give passengers a better travel experience.

Achimug added that while most airlines have been responsive, others have refused to comply with regulations on passengers’ rights, stressing that the relationship between operators and the regulator has worked better than in the past and this is good for passengers.

He chided Air Peace in particular for the delay in refunding passengers, just as he directed the airline to make a refund to passengers, saying 14 days had long elapsed.

His words, “This is not hot air. The Consumer Protection Department of the NCAA has done a lot to sensitise passengers and the business of operators. The time has come for airlines to repay the good faith and support they have gotten from the regulator.”

“Our CPOs have received instructions not to chase down airlines to comply with the regulations. Every case of non-compliance will be met with adequate sanctions. Not a single airline will say that they have not been given a listening ear.”

The Authority has been balanced.”

“Apologies to passengers whose refunds have taken longer than necessary. It is not ideal. I am pursuing a review of the regulations to cut the timeframe to seven days. It is doable. Nigerian passengers deserve world-class service.”