About 180 tonnes of passenger luggage belonging to Nigerian travellers are still stranded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, following baggage handling problems involving Saudi Airlines, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has said.
The Director of Consumer Protection and Public Affairs, NCAA, Michael Achimugu, disclosed this in a Tuesday social media post while responding to complaints from affected passengers.
Achimugu said about eight tonnes of luggage had been flown into Nigeria after the NCAA intervened in the matter last week. However, he said the quantity represented only a fraction of the baggage backlog, as more than 3,000 passengers were affected.
“Considering that over three thousand passengers are affected, it means that an estimated 180 tons of passenger luggage are still stuck in Jeddah,” he said.
According to him, the NCAA has been engaging the airline over the situation, adding that Saudi Airlines had pledged to bring in the remaining luggage within the next few days.
Achimugu said the airline had also agreed to compensate affected passengers who file complaints through its designated complaint channel.
He said the airline had attributed the baggage disruption to specific challenges affecting its operations out of Kano, adding that the NCAA was assisting the carrier in resolving the issues.
“Saudi has been advised to take consumer protection very seriously,” Achimugu said.
He added that the airline had appointed a new country manager for its Nigerian operations to strengthen its relationship with the NCAA and affected passengers.
Achimugu also disclosed that he had engaged the airline’s management over the matter and urged the temporary reassignment of responsibilities after learning that the country manager’s son was undergoing surgery.
He said affected passengers seeking refunds for their tickets could also apply through the airline’s refund channel.
The NCAA official assured passengers that the authority was continuing to monitor the situation and intervene on their behalf.
“I may not be able to reply directly to EVERY tag, but, you can help by reposting this until it gets to all Saudi passengers that have been affected,” he added.
