The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has imposed a ₦5 million fine on Qatar Airways for violations of Nigeria’s consumer protection regulations.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, via a post on X.
“Glad to announce that today the NCAA has sanctioned @qatarairways to the tune of five million naira as penalty for consumer protection–related infractions. In addition, the letters of investigation issued to the airline over other cases may lead to further sanctions if not satisfactorily addressed,” Achimugu wrote.
The penalty stems from an incident involving a Nigerian passenger who was accused by a Qatar Airways cabin crew member of sexual harassment during boarding in Lagos on a flight to the United States via Doha.
The allegation was not reported until the aircraft arrived in Doha, where the passenger was arrested, detained for 18 hours, fined, and forced to sign a document written solely in Arabic. Qatar Airways then reportedly refused to allow him to continue his trip, compelling him to buy another ticket at significant financial and reputational cost.
According to the NCAA, the airline’s country manager was invited for a meeting on the matter but failed to attend, instead sending junior staff.
Achimugu, in an earlier statement, criticised the airline’s conduct, saying: “I understand that some countries do not have advanced aviation consumer protection regulations like Nigeria does. In certain cases, some countries don’t even have any. This creates a situation where some airlines act with disdain toward consumer protection enforcement in Nigeria. This is not a situation we will accept here.
“It is against the law for any airline not to respond to the NCAA. It is against the law to provide false information to the NCAA. It is against the law to fail to comply with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.”
In September, the NCAA had similarly accused Qatar Airways of mistreating Nigerian passengers and repeatedly violating the provisions of Part 19 of the regulations. The regulator warned at the time that continued non-compliance would attract severe sanctions.
