The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has fined RwandAir N15 million over its failure to resolve a passenger’s baggage complaint within the timeframe stipulated by aviation regulations.

The sanction was disclosed by Michael Achimugu, NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, in a post on X on Friday, September 11.

Achimugu said the airline was sanctioned for consumer protection-related infractions arising from its handling of the baggage complaint.

“The NCAA has sanctioned RwandAir for consumer protection-related infractions,” he said, adding that the airline was fined N15 million for failing to resolve the baggage issue within the stipulated timeframe.

Beyond the financial penalty, the NCAA directed RwandAir to replace the passenger’s damaged bag and pay $170 as first-need compensation in accordance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.

The latest action is part of the regulator’s ongoing enforcement of passenger protection regulations and efforts to ensure airlines comply with consumer protection requirements.

On February 11, 2025, the NCAA warned that additional sanctions would be imposed on airlines that continued to violate consumer protection regulations.

The warning followed sanctions imposed on five airlines in December 2024. Air Peace, Ethiopian Airlines, Arik Air, Aero Contractors and Royal Air Maroc were penalised over various breaches of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.

The violations included failure to process passenger refunds within stipulated periods, non-compliance with NCAA directives, missing and mishandled baggage, short-landed luggage, as well as flight delays and cancellations.

The NCAA had also fined Saudi Airlines N6 million for consumer protection violations after the airline failed to resolve several outstanding issues and comply with NCAA determinations despite being granted additional time to do so.