By Dickson Omobola
NIGERIA Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has directed domestic airlines to cut down their flight operations whenever aircraft were grounded due to technical issues to avoid excessive disruption and hardship for passengers.
AOG simply means aircraft on ground.
Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NCAA, Michael Achimugu, who stated this on X, formerly Twitter, warned airlines against operating beyond their available capacity at the expense of passengers.
Achimugu said airlines with aircraft on ground were expected to reduce schedules to prevent avoidable delays and cancellations.
He stated: “If an airline has its machines AOG, it is instructed to cut down the size of its operations to avoid causing excessive, avoidable pain to passengers. It goes without saying.
“If a delay hits two hours, passengers nust be given light refreshment. On the six-hour mark, passengers are entitled to a proper meal. This is non-negotiable.
“If that delay lasts until 10pm, accommodation should be provided, except where the passenger resides in that city; even that is subject to certain factors.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s largest airline, Air Peace, has apologised to all passengers affected by the delays and cancellations recently experienced across its operations.
Chief Operating Officer, COO, of Air Peace, Oluwatoyin Olajide, said in a statement yesterday that the disruptions resulted from a combination of unforeseen circumstances, ‘including an inadvertent false fire alarm that grounded one of the aircraft; adverse weather conditions that resulted in diversions, delays and, in some cases, outright cancellations; and a bird strike that grounded another aircraft for days.
She also listed technical issues requiring necessary mandatory checks and maintenance, as well as a delay in the availability of aviation fuel in some cases as other factors responsible for the disruptions.
According to her, Air Peace will never compromise safety in an attempt to keep to a schedule.
“In Air Peace, safety remains our highest priority. We will never compromise the safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft. An aircraft will not be released for service until our technical teams and all relevant safety procedures are satisfied that it is safe to fly.
‘’Where weather, technical conditions, a bird strike or any other safety-related circumstance requires an aircraft to remain on the ground, that decision will always take precedence over operational convenience.
“We are taking immediate steps to stabilise our operations, strengthen our contingency measures and improve our communication and responsiveness when unforeseen challenges arise,’’ Olajide added.
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