Qatar Airways allegedly subjected a Nigerian passenger to harsh treatment, detaining him for 18 hours, coercing him into signing a document written in Arabic, and forcing him to pay a heavy fine before he could be released.
The incident came to light through a statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu.
According to Achimugu, a Qatar Airways crew member accused the Nigerian passenger of touching her buttocks while wheeling a passenger during boarding for a flight from Lagos to the United States (US) via Doha.
Achimugu added that the female crew member reported the incident when the flight landed in Doha, leading to the Nigerian’s arrest and detention.
“During the period, his wife suffered mental, physical, and psychological trauma without any form of care. She wondered how her husband could have committed such a despicable infraction given that she was with him throughout the boarding process,” Achimugu said.
He added that the authorities forced the Nigerian passenger to pay a hefty fine and sign a document written in Arabic to regain his freedom and proceed on his journey to the US.
Qatar Airways, however, refused to fly him to the US, prompting the Nigerian to buy tickets on another airline.
NCAA Condemns Qatar Airways’ Conduct
Achimugu also said the NCAA invited the country manager of Qatar Airways in Nigeria, but he sent his subordinates to attend in his stead.
“Upon invitation by the NCAA, the airline’s country manager, who has a penchant for evading meetings with the NCAA, only sent his subordinates to attend. However, the NCAA made a determination on that matter along with others.
“As has become typical of @qatarairways, they failed to comply with all determinations made from that meeting. They have also failed to treat subsequent complaints from other passengers escalated to them by the CAA, including total silence upon receipt of a letter of investigation (LOI) sent to them by the NCAA,” Achimugu added.
Achimugu strongly criticized the airline’s conduct, warning that Nigeria will not allow international carriers to trample on its consumer protection laws.
“This kind of behavior is unacceptable. It is unlawful for any airline to ignore the NCAA, provide misleading information, or refuse to comply with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023,” he declared.
“It is against the law to fail to comply with the provisions of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.”
