Five airlines sanctioned by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority have officially received their sanction letters for various infractions, with further penalties under consideration.

The Director for Consumer Protection and Public Affairs at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, confirmed the development to our correspondent.

“Yesterday, the five airlines received their letters of sanctions. The five airlines mentioned in that case have received their letters of sanctions officially,” Achimugu stated.

The affected airlines are Royal Air Maroc, Arik Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Aero Contractors, and Air Peace.

Achimugu said the NCAA is continuing its investigation into the airlines’ operations and could impose additional penalties.

“Apart from this first set of sanctions, we are still gathering evidence and monitoring the officials to be able to come down harder on them in view to fine them a record N200m for their chronic infractions of the resolution. The matter is still in progress,” Achimugu said.

Weeks ago, the NCAA cautioned that airlines failing to process passenger refunds within the time frame specified in Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023 would face sanctions.

In response, the regulatory agency took enforcement actions against Royal Air Maroc, Ethiopian Airways, Air Peace, Arik Air, and Aero Contractors following a surge in passenger complaints.

As part of these measures, the NCAA announced plans to fine Royal Air Maroc up to N300m for alleged unprofessional conduct and failure to comply with regulatory standards.

The agency also hinted at imposing what could be the largest sanction in Nigeria’s aviation history against the airline.

Meanwhile, multiple attempts to contact the affected airlines were unsuccessful as they failed to respond to enquiries.