The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has criticised Delta Air Lines for allegedly delaying a Nigerian passenger and subjecting them to poor treatment.
The passenger was reportedly delayed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, causing them to miss a connecting flight in Atlanta.
Despite being rescheduled for another flight with a nearly seven-hour wait, the airline allegedly refused to provide hotel accommodation or lounge access.
This Director of Public Affairs, NCAA, Michael Achimugu, made this known in a post on X on Sunday.
The NCAA Director, however, threatened that the authority would take action on the incident.
His tweet reads, “Dear @Delta airline. Your delayed departure from Lagos on Saturday afternoon and the lengthy tarmac delay on arrival in Atlanta meant that one of your Nigerian passengers who, incidentally, is a staff of the NCAA, missed their connecting flight due to no fault of theirs.
“You then schedule them for another flight, with an almost 7-hr waiting time, and refuse them hotel accommodation or, at least, lounge access.
This passenger was left sitting in an uncomfortable chair all night, and their rescheduled flight still suffered a delay. Your station manager claims that they cannot lift a muscle because they are not responsible for Atlanta.
“This ill-treatment of Nigerian passengers, similar to the Gloria Omisore incident, is not acceptable and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority will react to this, per Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.”
He insisted that “Nigerian passengers, whether they know their rights or not, must be accorded the level of care and dignity they are entitled to.”
When contacted, Delta’s Media Relations Officer in Nigeria, Adeola Olanrewaju, said she would request details and respond accordingly.
