More than 3,000 passengers who travelled to Kano on Saudi Arabian Airlines flights have been left without their luggage, which remains in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, weeks after their arrival.
The affected passengers said the situation had left many of them without clothes, medication, documents and other essential belongings.
Some passengers, who returned to Nigeria nearly two weeks ago, said they were shocked to arrive at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport without their checked-in luggage.
In some cases, they said, even their hand luggage was not delivered.
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The passengers said neither the airline nor the relevant Nigerian authorities adequately informed them that their luggage would not travel with them.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has confirmed that more than 3,000 passengers were affected by the baggage backlog.
The authority said about eight tonnes of luggage had been brought into Nigeria so far following its intervention.
However, it said an estimated 180 tonnes of luggage remained stranded in Jeddah.
'We arrived with only our phones'
One of the passengers, Engineer Usman Ahmed Zun-Noorayne, who travelled to Saudi Arabia for Umrah on September 1 and returned to Nigeria on September 15, said passengers boarded the flight without being informed that their luggage would not arrive with them.
"We were not told anything. On the verge of entering the plane, we were told that they were going to collect our hand baggage," he said.
According to him, passengers were given the impression that their hand luggage would be available immediately after landing.
"But when we landed, there was no communication. After being cleared by immigration, we proceeded to take our baggage and the place was empty.
He said some passengers had left phones, house and car keys, ATM cards, identity cards and other valuables inside their hand luggage.
'It has been happening for weeks'
Another passenger, Babagana Muhammad, who travelled with his wife from Heathrow Airport in London, said they checked in two pieces of 23kg baggage each before departing for Kano.
But after landing in Kano on September 17, they waited at the baggage carousel only to hear from airport porters that the aircraft had arrived without passengers' luggage.
According to him, there was no airport official from the NCAA, cargo handling company or Saudi Arabian Airlines available to explain what had happened or when the baggage would arrive.
Muhammad said the lack of communication had compounded the frustration.
Passengers demand answers, compensation
Following the disruption, affected passengers have begun organising themselves to demand explanations and compensation from the airline.
Zun-Noorayne said passengers visited the Saudi Arabian Airlines office in Kano on Monday, where the airline told them that a company supplying jet fuel to flights operating from Kano had defaulted, resulting in a fuel shortage.
He said passengers were also not given a definite date for the delivery of their belongings.
Airline cites jet fuel shortage
A senior staff member of Saudi Arabian Airlines' Kano office, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the baggage disruption was linked to a shortage of jet fuel at the airport.
When Daily Trust visited the airline's Kano office, the premises were locked, while a staff member confirmed that workers had gone out to help resolve the issue.
The senior staff member said the airline had explained the situation to passengers and was making arrangements to transport their baggage separately.
"We have a problem at Kano airport as there is no jet fuel there. But now, we are trying to use cargo flights to convey their luggage as soon as possible," the staff member said.
He explained that aircraft have limits on the amount of load they can carry, saying the airline had therefore prioritised transporting passengers while making arrangements to bring their luggage later.
He assured passengers that their luggage was safe and would be delivered.
Airport authorities dispute fuel claim
However, the management of the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport said it was not aware of any jet-fuel shortage.
Faruk Isa Fagge, the Head of Operations at the airport, told our reporter that there are six jet filling stations at the airport; only one has no fuel, which he said accidentally happened to be the one that supplies fuel to the Saudi airline.
"Also, an airline has a limit of the weight he could carry, including passengers, their luggage and the fuel he carries.
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"So, having known that there is no fuel from their supplier here, they take excess fuel that could bring them to Kano from Jeddah and take it back, thereby leaving passengers' luggage. That on its own is an aviation crime, and the relevant regulatory agency is working on fixing that.
"The airline has now agreed to dedicate a whole flight to convey the luggage soon," Fagge added.
NCAA intervenes
The NCAA said it had engaged Saudi Arabian Airlines over the baggage backlog.
The authority disclosed that about eight tonnes of luggage had already been brought into Nigeria following its intervention, while approximately 180 tonnes remained stranded in Jeddah.
It said the airline had agreed to compensate affected passengers who file complaints through its official complaint portal.
The authority said Saudi Arabian Airlines had cited operational challenges out of Kano as contributing to the disruption.
The NCAA assured passengers that it would continue monitoring the situation until their baggage was delivered.
