The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has declared that passengers of delayed flight have the rights to claim full refund of their ticket fee.
Speaking during the ministerial press briefing organised by the presidential communication team at the presidential villa, Abuja, Sirika also expressed the determination of the Federal government to recover the over N37 billion debts owed its agencies by airlines in the country.
He said the debts are owed to agencies such as Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) among others.
Airport departure lounge
According to him, government has been circumspect in demanding the payment mindful of how the airlines might react.
Sirika, who addressed the controversy over the disbursement of the N5 billion COVID-19 palliative to aviation stakeholders, said the point was made that airlines owing aviation parastatals should not
“So, this brings to the question on the money owed the parastatals. It is about N37 billion that they are owing, especially, Arik, the culprit. I know they’re owing us about, N13 to N14 billion.
“If you’re owing government, you are owing FAAN, the Bi-Courtney is owing about N14 billion as at the last count. It has not paid a single dime since the time he started to run the terminal building. And we have not ceased giving him, electricity, water, fire cover, and so on and so forth. He hasn’t paid a dime for 13 years.
“And if we go to shut his doors, media, of course, and Nigerian people will say we’re killing businesses but he is killing our services too, because we have to have that money to provide for that toilet that you’re looking in Lagos airport. Most of these are living by their IGRs and so, we need the money but we will go after the money,” Sirika said.