October 08, (THEWILL) — The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned all airlines operating in the country to comply with the provisions of the Montreal Convention of 1999, which has been domesticated under the Civil Aviation Act (CAA) 2022.
The Montreal Convention, designed to modernise and unify the rules governing international air travel, spells out airline liabilities in cases of passenger injury or death, baggage and cargo loss or damage, as well as flight delays.
In a statement on Wednesday, NCAA said any domestic operator that continue to rely on the outdated Warsaw Convention or use baggage weight as the sole basis for compensation in baggage-related claims is acting contrary to the law. The authority stressed that such practices would no longer be tolerated.
“The CAA 2022 and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) 2023 remain sacrosanct”, the regulator warned, adding that any airline that fails to apply the appropriate legal provisions in dealing with passengers’ baggage claims will face heavy penalties going forward.
The NCAA emphasised that strict adherence to the Montreal Convention framework is mandatory for all operators in order to protect the rights of passengers and strengthen industry standards.
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
