14-Day Refund Rule Still Binding – NCAA Tells Airlines

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued a strong warning to domestic airlines, ordering them to stop misleading passengers about ticket refund times.

The regulator emphasized that its rules mandate a 14-day refund deadline, not the four weeks currently being claimed by carriers.

The NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, announced the directive via X on Monday, October 13, and urged affected passengers to forward evidence of the four-week refund claims for official investigation.

The statement reads: “Domestic airlines need to stop telling passengers that their refund process takes 4 weeks. There cannot be two captains-in-command on an aircraft.

“The NCAA regulations are clear about the timeframe for ticket refunds, and it is 14 days. Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023 remains in force. Operators cannot create a different rule in this regard.

“To all passengers: if you apply for a refund and an airline tells you that it would take 4 weeks, kindly forward that communication to michael.achimugu@ncaa.gov.ng ifueko.abdulmalik@ncaa.gov.ng cpd@ncaa.gov.ng immediately.

“We cannot all claim to be working for the improvement of the industry and be duplicating rules in a manner that undermines the Authority and is unfair to passengers.”

The reminder comes as passenger complaints mount over delayed refunds due to cancellations and disruptions.

Persecondnews recalls that the NCAA had, in recent months, threatened to sanction airlines that fail to process refunds within the timeframe set out in its regulations, describing timely refunds as a “low-hanging fruit” that airlines should prioritise.