Airlines to pay customers at least 40% for flight delays – Aviation Minister Keyamo

The Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has unveiled a new initiative aimed at ensuring accountability for delayed or cancelled flights.

The minister disclosed that a comprehensive list of airlines responsible for such inconveniences would be regularly published in the media as part of a compensation strategy.

Addressing the media, Keyamo stressed the importance of transparency in informing the public about airline performance, urging regulators to provide detailed information on the duration of delays and actions taken against non-compliant airlines.

"I have called the customer’s satisfactory commission regarding the treatment of Nigerians. I have returned to the committee; that is how concerned I am. And I have said at the last address that I gave during our stakeholders meeting in Lagos and our retreat in Warri,” Keyamo stated.

He further stated the need for a weekly publication of the list, including information on cancelled and delayed flights, the duration of delays, compensation details, and actions taken by regulators against the airlines. The initiative is set to kick off in January.

As part of the compensation strategy, Keyamo proposed a deduction from the flight tickets of airlines responsible for delays. He suggested applying a discount to tickets purchased by passengers affected by delays or cancellations.

"For every delay, there is a report, an actual report by the regulator. What did they do? Did they pay compensation? And if they didn’t pay compensation, we have said that the other way to get compensation if they can’t return cash is that once the passenger buys the next ticket, it must be given a rebate. The minister said that passengers must be given a 50% rebate or 40% rebate because there must be a rebate."

Keyamo also highlighted the necessity of private partnerships for the development of Nigerian airports, citing a lack of funds for independent government initiatives.

“Public-Private Partnership must come to the fore. It is not even negotiable; we don’t have the funds to do so. In concession, we will give the people what we want, not what they want. We have to decide what we want."