NCAA Cautions Ethiopian Airlines over Unauthorized Charges
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has cautioned Ethiopian Airlines to stop collecting unauthorized charges from passengers travelling to South Africa ranging from $75 to $150 (N35, 000- N70, 000) as deportation charges.
The charges tagged, “Refundable Deportation Fee” is expected to be paid by all South African bound passengers before boarding the aircraft.
It was gathered that the fee was introduced by the carrier in anticipation that some of the passengers might be deported as reports indicate that South African government had deported 187 Nigerians in 2017 alone.
General Manager, Public Relations, NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, said that the authority had ordered Ethiopian Airlines to stop forthwith the illegal collection of unauthorized charges, which, he said, was against extant regulations.
Adurogboye said that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs) Part 18.4.1(iii) stipulates that “all air carriers should obtain approval from the authority to introduce or increase add-on charges or surcharges prior to implementation”.
According to him, the authority had been inundated with several complaints from many passengers that have suffered this fate, explaining that the authority did not receive any request for fare increase, tariff or add-ons from the airline.
The NCAA’s spokesman noted that the authority’s investigation showed that all outbound passengers to South Africa from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, (MMIA), Lagos and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, transiting through Addis Ababa, are liable to pay $75 dollars.
“However, if your transiting time is 24 hours or beyond, the passenger will pay $150 dollars”, Adurogboye confirmed.
He said, “While passengers are not given prior notice concerning these charges before arriving at the airports, some were made to sign undertaken to be responsible for all expenses incurred if deported.
“Consequent upon this, the Ethiopian Airlines’ management was summoned by NCAA, where they claimed the fees were always refunded when a passenger was not deported.
“The regulatory authority has found this unacceptable and viewed it as a violation of the authority’s extant regulations”, the spokesman said.
The authority, however, ordered the airline to stop with immediate effect the illegal charges.
“The airline could take advantage of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CAR) and obtain necessary approvals from the authority if it has genuine grounds to increase fares or obtain tariffs”, Adurogboye added.
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