The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has cautioned domestic airlines against informing passengers that ticket refunds take four weeks to process, stressing that such practice violates existing aviation regulations.

The announcement was made on Monday by Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection at the NCAA, via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account.

According to the Authority, Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023 clearly stipulates that airlines must process and complete passenger ticket refunds within 14 days of request.

"The NCAA regulations are clear about the timeframe for ticket refunds, and it is 14 days. Operators cannot create a different rule in this regard," the statement read.

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The warning comes amid growing complaints from passengers who say domestic airlines often claimed refund processes take up to a month. The NCAA emphasised that there "cannot be two captains in command on an aircraft," noting that airlines must strictly adhere to the authority's rules rather than invent their own.

Achimugu reiterated that the Authority will not tolerate any act that undermines its regulatory powers or unfairly treats passengers. "Enough of this. We cannot all claim to be working for the improvement of the industry and be duplicating rules in a manner that undermines the authority and is unfair to passengers," he said.

Passengers have been advised to report any airline that insists on a four-week refund period, saying complaints should be forwarded immediately to [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected].