The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has warned Qatar Airways against disregarding its regulations and mistreating Nigerian passengers.

The warning comes after a Nigerian passenger was detained in Doha for 18 hours following an allegation of inappropriate conduct by a cabin crew member.

Despite the passenger paying a hefty fine, Qatar Airways refused to fly him to his final destination, forcing him to buy another ticket.

According to Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, the incident occurred when a cabin crew member alleged that a male passenger touched her butt while she was wheeling a passenger during boarding for a flight from Lagos to the US via Doha.

However, the crew member did not report the incident in Lagos, but rather on arrival in Doha, leading to the passenger’s arrest and detention.

“The airline Qatar Airways has carried on as though Nigerian passengers and the NCAA are not deserving of their respect, dignified treatment, and compliance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023. This will be brought to a stop immediately,” Achimugu stated.

The NCAA emphasized that airlines operating in Nigeria must respect and comply with consumer protection regulations.

“When BASAs are signed, they must be respected by both parties. Every airline is expected to, upon approval to operate in Nigeria, understand and comply with consumer protection regulations,” Achimugu added.

The passenger was forced to sign a document written in Arabic, which he didn’t understand, and was detained for about 18 hours. His wife suffered mental, physical, and psychological trauma during the period.

“The authorities in Doha made the man pay a hefty fine and forced him to sign a document written ONLY in Arabic! Desperate for freedom to proceed on his journey to the US, the passenger signed a document whose contents he did not understand,” Achimugu disclosed.

The NCAA has also warned Royal Air Maroc and Saudi Air about certain infractions, stating that failure to comply with the determinations of the CAA will attract heavy sanctions.

“In the same vein, Royal Air Maroc and Saudi Air have also been properly advised about certain infractions and, failing to comply with the determinations of the CAA, will be heavily sanctioned,” Achimugu said.