The Joint National Assembly Committees on Aviation have queried airline operators over incessant flight delays and cancelations experienced by passengers in recent times.
The Senate and House Committee chairmen on Aviation, Sen. Smart Adeyemi and Hon. Nnolim Nnaji made this known in a joint briefing after an oversight of the Lagos office of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on Thursday.
Adeyemi told newsmen after the oversight tour, decried the incessant delays and cancellations had become a worry affecting businesses immensely.
The lawmaker said the National Assembly had resolved to tackle the airlines on this negative trend but would first invite operators and agencies before taking its stance on it.
“I am calling on airlines operators as people can no longer predict their flights. Nigerians want to fly and the roads are bad.
“However, there are people that stay as long as five to eight hours waiting for a flight with no compensation, not even a bottle of coke.
”We will have a meeting with them (airlines) so we will try to look at the cause of this before we nag them. We will tell them our feelings and there must be compensation for passengers being stranded.
Adeyemi added that the national assembly would further look at the act to ensure things are taken care of.
Speaking on the same issue, Nnolim said Nigerians can no longer tolerate the issue of flight delays and cancellations.
“Nigerians cannot take it again and we will invite agencies and the airline operators. We will discuss this issue of flight delays as it affects everybody, if you want to go and see someone it would take you a day.
“Most times when you ask them they say operational reasons, technical reasons whatever, those things.
“I had discussed with the Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Capt. Musa Nuhu and I wrote to them on this issue of flight delays and cancellations and up to now nothing,” he said.
The lawmaker said NCAA should ensure adequate compensation was given to passengers that their flights were delayed.
