In what he described as an unjust trend between air passengers and operators, Senator Aminu Abbas bemoaned the situation where travellers are made to pay extra whenever they arrive late to the airport, whereas the operators do not pay anything as compensation when they cancel or delay passengers’ flights.
Amid the condemning remarks of the senators, Senator Victor Umeh entreated his colleagues not to apportion all the blame on the airline operators.
The Anambra Central lawmaker urged the Senate to consider the state of airport infrastructures, the harsh business environment, and unfavourable weather conditions, which he attributed to the problems plaguing Nigeria’s air transport sector.
Umeh’s submission also gained the support of Rivers South-East Senator Barinada Mpigi, who said that airlines do not intentionally disrupt flight schedules, but that this is largely due to the factors highlighted by Senator Umeh.
“Though I support the motion, we also need to look at the economic reasons. Most of these airlines are playing it safe, most of them due to weather, while some airports don’t have the needed infrastructure,” Mpigi remarked.
In its resolution, the lawmakers held that necessary compensation for delayed flights is often ignored, violating international best practices.
They called for penalties for flight cancellations to hold airlines accountable.
The Senate, presided over by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, voted in favour of the motion and directed its Committee on Legislative Compliance to monitor the implementation of all resolutions to ensure proper action is taken.S
Source: Daily Sun
