The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has condemned Delta Air Lines for allegedly delaying a Nigerian passenger and subjecting them to poor treatment during a flight from Lagos to Atlanta.
Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, raised the issue on Sunday in a post on his X account.
Achimugu revealed that the incident occurred after Delta’s flight from Lagos on Saturday afternoon was delayed, causing the Nigerian passenger — who is also a staff member of the NCAA — to miss their connecting flight in Atlanta through no fault of their own.
“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,” Achimugu wrote.
According to Achimugu, Delta rescheduled the passenger for another flight with an almost seven-hour waiting time but refused to provide hotel accommodation or even access to a lounge.
“This passenger was left sitting in an uncomfortable chair all night, and their rescheduled flight still suffered a delay,” he added.
Achimugu further stated that Delta’s station manager claimed they were not responsible for operations in Atlanta and could not assist the passenger.
“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,” Achimugu said.
He stressed that Nigerian passengers, whether aware of their rights or not, must be treated with the care and dignity they deserve.
