Kenya Airways Apologises to NCAA Over Mistreatment of Nigerian Passenger
Kenya Airways has issued an apology to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for the mistreatment of Nigerian passenger Gloria Omisore and for providing a misleading statement about the incident.
The apology followed a meeting between NCAA officials and the airline management in Abuja on Tuesday.
Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s Director of Consumer Protection and Public Affairs, confirmed this development in a post on his official X handle.
Achimugu stated that Kenya Airways had acknowledged their error in not addressing the issue before allowing Omisore to travel from Lagos.
The airline also admitted to misrepresenting the facts in their previous statement.
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“Their team has expressed regret for obfuscating facts in their previous statement. Call or not, they also acknowledged that the airline was at fault for not recognising the problem before airlifting the customer from Lagos,” Achimugu said.
“I was responsible for maintaining the rules set down by the civil aviation authority while safeguarding all parties involved in aviation, including travellers and airlines.
“I insisted on Kenya Airways apologising to the NCAA and the passenger in public,” Achimugu added.
The airline has since issued a revised statement, accurately reflecting the events that transpired in Nairobi.
Before her journey, Omisore had contacted Kenya Airways to confirm her eligibility to travel on the Manchester-Paris-Nairobi-Lagos and Lagos-Nairobi-Paris-Manchester routes.
Despite informing the airline of her Nigerian nationality and lack of a Schengen visa, she was reassured that she could travel.
She faced no issues entering Nigeria via Paris and Nairobi.
However, upon her return, Kenya Airways failed to secure a transit permit for the Paris leg, and the error was only discovered in Nairobi.
After a 17-hour layover, the airline offered her a direct flight to London at no extra charge, but she had to wait for another 10 hours.
“The traveller, who was tired and ill, asked for treatment and accommodations, pointing to the airline’s mistake. She got into a fight with the airline employees after this was refuted,” Achimugu stated.
Achimugu also condemned the airline’s staff behaviour during the incident, particularly their derogatory comments about Nigeria, suggesting that nothing would be done about the mistreatment.
“I was deeply disappointed by the airline’s employees’ unruly behaviour, especially the derogatory comments about the Nigerian government, which implied that nothing would be done regardless of how Nigerians were treated,” he said.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
