Players in the Nigerian aviation industry say the recently unveiled Consumer Protection Portal by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is a right way to stop the continuous violation of air passengers’ rights by airlines, OLUSEGUN KOIKI writes.
The global aviation industry is evolving. Nigeria as a major player on the continent with huge potential for enhanced growth cannot afford to be left behind.
Though, the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020 brought the global economies on its knees and with its pains, but it came with its own gains.
The eruption of the disease brought out digital innovation from different fields, including the aviation industry.
The pandemic reduced to a large extent physical contacts among airline officials, the travelling public and government agencies.
In the fast-paced world of aviation, where every second counts and efficiency is paramount, digital transformation has emerged as a game-changer.
Airlines, airports and governments are harnessing the power of cutting-edge technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and data analytics to revolutionise operations and elevate the passenger experience to new heights.
In Nigeria, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is taking the lead. Apart from being the apex regulatory agency in the country, NCAA in recent times has also been playing its pivotal role of re-organising the civil aviation in the country in line with the Acts that set it up and bring it at par with the global industry.
Since the current administration came onboard in December, 2023 at the NCAA, the issue of consumer protection and strict adherence to industry standards has been taken as a top priority.
Also, the appointment of Mr. Michael Achimugu as the Director of Consumer Protection and Public Relations, NCAA has brought necessary revolution to how air travellers should be treated. Times without number, the issue of passenger maltreatment by airlines, especially foreign carriers are brought to the fore and treated in a jiffy by the department.
Now, airlines are more cautious and courteous about how they treat Nigerian air travellers either in the country or abroad; passengers are now more assured of getting justice whenever their contracts with airlines are breached.
Since Achimugu appointement, the department has recorded the highest percentage of refunds and compensations for air passengers in the annals of the authority, but the agency is not resting on its oars.
The NCAA knew it needed to improve its interactions with the travelling public, the airlines and has consistently sought a way to deliver this.
Just recently, the NCAA with Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development in attendance, upped its ante with the unveiling of the consumer protection portal, which is aimed at improving air travellers’ experience. The initiative received wide accolades from the stakeholders and air travellers.
Unlike in the past where such complaints were untraceable and with bleak response, this time around, a complainer is assured of on-time response from the designated officials from NCAA.
This portal is a significant step towards automating its processes to meet international standards. Before now, the NCAA was handling complaints manually, which was deemed inefficient.
According to the NCAA, the automated portal would solve a plethora of flight disruption issues simultaneously, resolve complaints, collect data and process such, showcase airline performance reportage, enhance transparency, ensure timely complaints resolutions and improve the ease-of-doing business for all sector’s stakeholders and investors, among others.
In his speech at the unveiling, Keyamo said the portal would ease passengers’ complaints and ensure efficiency in the system.
According to him, the viability of the industry would be determined by the attention paid to the travelling public and commended the leadership of NCAA, especially the Consumer Protection Directorate for the initiative.
He insisted that proper attention must be paid to the end users, which are the travelling public by all and sundry.
He said: “The final thing that we must achieve in the sector is that the person boarding the aircraft must have good experience, must feel the change either in terms of prices, environment or experience. So, everybody is working for that final consumer, including myself. So, let it be clear that we are all Consumer Protection Officers (CPOs) and it’s not only for those gentlemen and ladies in uniform.
“As a frequent flyer myself, I have seen firsthand the rage of passengers who are either disappointed by delayed flights, cancellations or some ugly experiences on those flights. I have seen the rage and this is a means by which they can ventilate that rage.”
To Capt. Chris Najomo, the Acting Director-General Civil Aviation (ADGCA), the portal aligned with NCAA’s ongoing efforts to automate its processes as part of broader reforms.
Najomo, emphasised that the consumer protection portal would speed-up the response time to consumers’ complaints resolution.
This platform, he added, was designed to handle real-time passenger complaints against airlines, ensuring faster and more efficient resolution, stressing that it would also streamline the resolution process for passenger complaints.
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Besides, the Acting Director-General, maintained that it would also monitor the on-time performance of all airlines operating in Nigeria, describing it as the first of its kind in the organisation.
Najomo also expressed that the portal would ease the workload for the 207 CPOs stationed across Nigeria’s airports, making the process of handling complaints much more efficient.
According to him the collective desire of the NCAA was to revolutionise consumer protection activities in the agency, while also enforcing airlines’ compliance with the regulatory requirements in Part 19 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations.
The portal, he explained, would offer a wealth of resources, including guidelines on consumer rights, tools for reporting grievances, a source for data referencing for the purpose of research and development for informed decision-making, improved services and ultimately, support to Nigerian aviation consumers and the industry.
He said: “This initiative represents a significant step in our commitment to safeguard the rights and interests of aviation consumers across our nation.
“In today’s rapidly evolving marketplace, consumers face myriads of challenges. From being unaware of their rights, to navigating complex regulations to addressing poor services or unfair practices. Hence, the need for a robust system to protect and empower consumers has never been more critical.
“This portal is not merely a digital space; it is a beacon of transparency and accountability. We aim to create a more equitable marketplace where consumers can confidently engage with businesses.”
Game changer
Achimugu’s appointment has increased the agency’s relationship with the public, especially the media with prompt responses to enquiries.
Unlike in the past when the activities of the NCAA were seldom given the publicities they deserved, there have been improved awareness campaigns of the NCAA in recent months, while the public perception of the agency has changed.
Besides, the staff of the Consumer Protection and Public Relations, now work with the state-of-the-art equipment, while specialised training has been facilitated for the directorate’s staff for better efficiency and productivity.
Achimugu, in his comment at the consumer protection portal in Lagos, said that in a bid to improve the welfare of the CPOs, the NCAA has rebranded their outfits, which he said was geared towards gathering more respect from airline staff and passengers for the officers.
According to him, Nigeria had moved away from the manual and archaic reporting system to a more vibrant digital form with enhanced transparency and easier access.
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Mr. Chris Amokwu, Aviation analyst, said that currently, digitalisation is shaping all fields in a manner that is comparable to any other significant events that have positive influences in the economy.
Amokwu, declared that the Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs) around the world are participating actively in digital innovation to boost their cost structure, security dependence and competition intensity, to improve customer experience and financial performance.
He commended the NCAA for taking as a priority the rights of the traveling public, who he said their rights had over the years been trampled upon by airlines’ local and international without much protection.
He hoped that the unveiling of the portal would reduce such flagrant abuse of air travellers by airlines, while their complaints would also be addressed as quickly as possible.
He said: “The NCAA has embraced digital operations in the last few months. The latest being the unveiling of this portal by the management. No doubt. This would address a lot of the challenging issues on comfort and violation of air travellers rights.
“It is high time we addressed some of these issues as they concern the passengers. You can’t continue to treat the air travellers as nobody, yet you want to maximize profit. Don’t forget that without the passengers, there can’t be airlines. So, they should be treated like a king.”
Also, Mr. Ibrahim Abdulkareem, an air traveller, called on the NCAA to sustain the “novel” initiative.
Abdulkareem in an interview with our correspondent at the Lagos airport, regretted that his right as air passenger had been violated severally in the past without any known avenue for complaint.
But he said that the launch of the portal would ensure such complaints are addressed quickly, stressing that it would also lead to reduced violation of passengers’ rights by airlines.
“Some of these airlines, especially the foreign ones treat air travellers with disdain. The launch of this portal by the NCAA I believe if well-publicised, would address some of these issues and myriads of challenges faced by passengers.
“I just want to appeal to the NCAA to make the portal interactive and flexible to the end users. We need to commend the leadership at the NCAA and those at the Department of Consumer Protection and Public Relations for this initiative. They have shown that they have the love of the travellers at heart. Things have really changed in that in the last one year,” he said.
