The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has fined RwandAir N15 million for violating consumer protection regulations over its handling of a passenger’s baggage complaint.
Michael Achimugu, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, announced the sanction in a post on X on Friday, September 11. According to Achimugu, the airline failed to resolve the baggage complaint within the timeframe stipulated by aviation regulations.
“The NCAA has sanctioned Rwand Air for consumer protection-related infractions,” Achimugu said. “The airline has been fined a sum of FIFTEEN MILLION NAIRA for its failure to resolve a baggage issue within stipulated timeframe.”
In addition to the N15 million fine, the NCAA directed RwandAir to replace the passenger’s damaged bag and pay $170 as first-need compensation in accordance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023. The sanction comes as the aviation regulator continues enforcement actions against airlines over alleged breaches of passenger protection requirements.
On February 11, 2025, the NCAA said it would impose sanctions on more airlines that continued to violate consumer protection regulations. The warning followed regulatory action against five airlines in December 2024. The NCAA sanctioned Air Peace, Ethiopian Airlines, Arik Air, Aero Contractors and Royal Air Maroc for various violations of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
According to the authority, the violations included failures to refund passengers within stipulated periods, non-compliance with NCAA directives, missing and mishandled luggage, short-landed baggage and issues involving flight delays and cancellations.
The NCAA also imposed a N6 million sanction on Saudi Airlines over consumer protection violations. The regulator said that penalty followed the airline’s failure to resolve several outstanding issues and comply with NCAA determinations despite being granted additional time to do so.
