Kenya Airways has issued an apology to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority over the mistreatment of Nigerian passenger Gloria Omisore and for issuing a misleading statement regarding the incident.
The apology came after a meeting between the airline’s management and NCAA officials in Abuja on Tuesday.
This was disclosed by the
NCAA’s Director of Consumer Protection and Public Affairs, Michael Achimugu, via his official X handle.
“Their team has apologised for the obfuscation of facts in their earlier statement. They also admitted that phone call or not, it was the airline’s fault for failing to identify the issue before airlifting the passenger from Lagos,” Achimugu stated.
Achimugu emphasized that his responsibility was to protect all aviation stakeholders, including passengers and airlines, while ensuring compliance with the regulations of the Civil Aviation Authority.
He revealed that he had insisted Kenya Airways issue a public apology to both the passenger, Gloria Omisore, and the NCAA.
Following this demand, the airline released an updated statement, accurately reflecting the true events that transpired in Nairobi.
Present at the meeting were Kenya Airways’ Country Manager, James Nganga; Station Manager, Eric Mukira; and Duty Manager, Ezenwa Ehumadu.
According to the NCAA, Gloria Omisore had contacted Kenya Airways prior to her trip to confirm her eligibility to fly the Manchester-Paris-Nairobi-Lagos inbound route and the Lagos-Nairobi-Paris-Manchester outbound route.
She informed the airline that she was Nigerian with a British residence permit but did not have a Schengen visa. Despite this, the airline assured her that she was eligible to travel.
“Based on this information, she purchased the ticket and successfully flew into Nigeria via Paris and Nairobi without incident,” Achimugu explained.
However, during her return journey, Kenya Airways boarded Omisore from Lagos, overlooking the requirement for a transit visa for the Paris leg of her flight.
This oversight was only discovered in Nairobi. To resolve the issue, the airline offered her a direct flight to London at no additional cost but required her to endure an extra 10-hour wait after a 17-hour layover.
“Exhausted and unwell, the passenger requested accommodation and care, citing the airline’s error. When this was denied, an argument ensued between her and the airline staff,” Achimugu added.
The NCAA also condemned the conduct of Kenya Airways staff during the incident, highlighting the poor handling of the situation and the mistreatment of the passenger.
“I expressed deep disappointment over the unruly behaviour of the airline’s staff, particularly the disparaging remarks about the Nigerian government, insinuating that nothing would be done regardless of how Nigerians were treated,” Achimugu stated.
He further clarified that Omisore did not refuse to board the alternative flight, as claimed in Kenya Airways’ earlier statement.
Instead, her frustration arose from the lack of basic care and the prolonged wait, despite the airline’s admission of fault.
Kenya Airways has been directed to refund and compensate Omisore for the “avoidable humiliation and distress” she suffered, which also put her job security at risk.
While Kenya Airways initially asked for 72 hours to respond, the NCAA only allowed 48 hours, stating, “Truth should not be that hard to publish, considering how swiftly the misleading statement was released.”
