NCAA sanctions Kenya Airways over passenger rights violations

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has formally sanctioned Kenya Airways for repeated breaches of consumer protection regulations involving three passengers, including Gloria Omisore.

Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, made the announcement via his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday night.

“According to the NCAA, the sanctions stem from the airline’s failure to uphold several key obligations, including the NCAA has sent a letter of sanction to the operator, Kenya Airways, over the cases of Gloria Omisore and two other passengers.

“The penalties are for consumer protection-related infractions including right to care, failure to provide full disclosure of terms of carriage, failure to respond to the Authority’s request, failure to process refund and compensation, and lost baggage.”

The sanction letter issued to Kenya Airways includes both monetary penalties and directives for remedial action.

“In addition to the fine in line with the NCAA Regulations 2023, the airline has seven days to pay the refunds and compensation of 1000 special drawing rights to the affected passengers,”

The NCAA emphasized that further defiance would result in harsher penalties.

“Failure to comply with the letter will attract stiffer penalties for the airline,” the authority warned.

This enforcement action follows a February 2025 incident that attracted public attention.

Gloria Omisore, a Nigerian passenger, was flown from Lagos to Nairobi without the required transit visa for France, where she was scheduled to connect to Manchester.

This led to a 17-hour layover in Nairobi, followed by an additional 10-hour wait.

Omisore, who was in a medical situation at the time, reportedly received inadequate care from airline staff despite her requests for assistance.

The NCAA further criticized Kenya Airways for issuing a misleading public statement regarding the incident—one the regulator categorically rejected.

Achimugu confirmed that the airline was directed to revise its statement to reflect the facts of the case, but as of now, no such correction has been made