The Federal Government has said that operators of airline in the country must pay back passengers the full cost of their travel tickets after any delay that lasts for two hours.
This statement was made by the Honourable Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, while speaking during the weekly State House Briefing in Aso Villa, Abuja.
During the briefing, he read some of the rights of aviation passengers and urged them to demand for their rights whenever they are taken for granted by airlines.
He said, “On domestic flights, for delay beyond one hour, the carrier should provide refreshment, and one telephone call, or one SMS, or one e-mail. They should send you an SMS or email or call you to say, ‘I am sorry, I am delaying for one hour’.
“Delay for two hours and beyond, the carrier shall reimburse passengers the full volume of their tickets.
“Delay between 10 pm and 4 am, the carrier shall provide hotel accommodation, refreshment, meal, two free calls, SMS, email and transport to-and-fro airport.”
The minister, who said his ministry has started sanctioning some airlines who default on consumer rights, urged passengers not to be unruly at airports.
Flight cancellations and delays have in recent times become the norm among local airlines in Nigeria, as many flights have been delayed hours after their scheduled time of departure.
