The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has said that it will push for Morocco’s national carrier, Royal Air Maroc, to cease operations in Nigeria over repeated infractions.
In a post on his verified X handle on Thursday, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Micheal Achimugu, said that the airline, has for the longest time, been the biggest culprit when it comes to baggage infractions, poor passenger handling, and extremely poor resolution processes when dealing with Nigerian passengers.
He said having been sanctioned for the first time ever for consumer protection-related infractions in 2025, it is expected that there would be very major improvements in the way the attend to complaints from Nigerian passengers. He said however that despite the best possible support from the Authority, the manner of response to these issues have hardly seen much by way of improvement; baggage continue to be shortlanded without timely information to affected passengers, first need is not being paid on a consistent level, and complaints are treated mostly after the NCAA gets involved and much pressure is given.
To make matters worse, he said invitations from the CAA are treated with a degree of insolence that is unacceptable as everywhere in the world, when the CAA summons an airline, it is mandatory to attend.
He said: “Royal Air Maroc’s country manager, Ahmed Boussouf, will sit in Lagos and refuse to attend meetings in Abuja. Instead, the airline will hastily send an email on the eve of the meeting that the cases are being processed, and thereafter, send one Theophilus (their Abuja rep), without authority to resolve cases or make commitments. Today, one of those events occurred. In registering our displeasure over this incessant disregard for Nigerian passengers and the Authority, this country manager, Boussouf, said to me, “Whatever you want to do, do.”
“While our job may be thankless and exhausting, the NCAA, under the dispensation of President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo and the Director General, Capt. Chris Najomo, will never be diminished to such a level of brazen disregard and non-compliance. The passengers whose cases have been delayed, quite unfairly and unnecessarily, are paying, loyal customers. International airlines have bilateral service agreements (BASA) to honour, as well as the obligation of simple service to passengers.
“Strict enforcement will happen against this airline and my department will push for a stoppage of Royal Air Maroc operations in Nigeria until they make a commitment to treat Nigerian passengers better. I am not the kind of public servant who is afraid to lose his job for the right reasons. I will never accept this behaviour from operators. It is not arrogance; it is simply adherence to rules that have, for ages, been treated like they don’t exist.
“Whatever gains we make in this industry, we will continue to fail if the rights and responsibilities of all stakeholders are treated as an afterthought. We must be intentional and systematic, adhering to world class standards. Most airlines are fortunate, and they know it, that Nigerian passengers do not have a culture of boycotting airlines, no matter the shortcomings. Otherwise, some of these cases would not even require regulatory intervention if any operator fails to take their customers seriously. There is nowhere RAM flies to, that people do not have alternatives in Air Algerie, Egypt Air, and Ethiopian. My department will be taking a very firm stand over this matter, and Royal Air Maroc will stop taking for granted, the relationship Morocco has enjoyed with Nigeria and Nigerians. We will ensure stiffer penalties against Royal Air Maroc this time. The job we were given to do will be done without fear.”
(The Sun)
