From The Nigeria Village Square

FG Declares War On British Airways

[Shola Adekola, Lagos – 25.04.2008 ]

The British carrier, British Airways, is in trouble as the Federal Government’s hammer may fall on it over the bad treatment it meted out to about 130 Nigerian passengers on board one of its flights in London Heathrow Airport on March 27. The indication came on Thursday when the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, summoned the airline management the issue.

At the meeting, the British carrier was asked to behave well in treating Nigerian passengers or get sanctioned by the Federal Government.

The foreign carrier was also given between now and next Monday to furnish the director-general with information on its compensation plan for the affected passengers.

Besides this, the airline was asked to give full details on the March 27 incident and also give detailed operation with regard to flight schedule, its actual arrival and departures in the last six months.

Other offences the airline was accused of by Nigerian passengers and across the globe include baggage delays, flights cancellation, overbooking, among others.

Leading the BA officers to the meeting was one Mr Tunji Seymour,Peku Willie Emretane. The NCAA boss at the meeting frowned on the absence of the European staff of the airline who work in the airline’s office in Nigeria at the meeting.

The airline had in its reaction attributed its behaviour to the attitude of the Nigerian passengers, which it claimed, could pose security risk.