The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed pilots not to take off with unruly passengers on board, as part of new measures to strengthen safety and discipline in the aviation sector.
The directive was announced on Wednesday in Abuja by the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, during an ongoing meeting with domestic airlines.
According to Achimugu, flights will only be allowed to depart once disruptive passengers have been removed by security officials or when the issues have been resolved amicably.
"Pilots must not fly a plane until unruly passengers are removed from the aircraft by security or the issue is resolved amicably. This will go a long way to protect cabin crew and make passengers treat them with courtesy,” he said.
He stressed that no passenger has the right to assault any member of the cabin crew, noting that many incidents escalate because pilots fail to assert authority.
At the same time, Achimugu cautioned crew members to maintain professionalism.
- “Cabin crew should not be rude and passengers should not misconstrue firmness of cabin crew as rudeness,” he added.
Speaking at the meeting, the Senior Special Assistant to the Director-General of NCAA, Mrs. Ifueko Abdulmalik, warned airlines that they risk sanctions if they fail to promptly notify passengers or provide adequate care during flight delays and cancellations.
The meeting also addressed several other industry concerns, including passenger handling protocols, unresolved refund and compensation claims, the introduction of RFID bag tags and flight monitoring technology, enforcement of phone switch-off instructions, and improved protection for cabin crew.
Airlines in attendance included Arik Air, Air Peace, Ibom Air, Aero Contractors, United Nigeria Airlines, Green Africa Airways, Max Air, Rano Air, ValueJet, and Overland Airways.
