The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has imposed a ₦5 million fine on Qatar Airways for alleged violations of the country’s consumer protection regulations.
The sanction was announced on Wednesday by the NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, in a post on X.
According to him, the penalty followed the airline’s handling of a case involving a Nigerian passenger accused of s3x!ual harassment during the boarding of a Qatar Airways flight from Lagos to the United States via Doha.
The allegation was reportedly not disclosed until the aircraft arrived in Doha, where the passenger was arrested, detained for 18 hours, fined, and compelled to sign a document written entirely in Arabic.
The airline allegedly refused to allow him to continue his journey, forcing the traveller to buy a new ticket at additional financial and reputational cost.
Achimugu noted that several letters of investigation had also been issued to Qatar Airways regarding other unresolved consumer complaints, warning that further sanctions could follow if the airline fails to respond satisfactorily.
He added that despite being invited for a meeting over the incident, Qatar Airways’ country manager failed to attend, sending representatives instead; an action the regulator described as unacceptable.
“I understand that some countries do not have advanced aviation consumer protection regulations like Nigeria does,” Achimugu stated.
“This creates a situation where some airlines, especially national carriers of such countries, act with disdain towards consumer protection enforcement in Nigeria. This is not a situation we would accept here.”
He emphasised that the NCAA Regulations 2023, particularly Part 19, mandate airlines to comply fully with consumer protection directives and to provide accurate and timely responses to regulatory inquiries.
This development follows earlier accusations in September, when the NCAA accused Qatar Airways of mistreating Nigerian passengers and repeatedly disregarding its consumer protection obligations. The regulator had at the time threatened stringent measures if the airline’s conduct did not improve.
