Boniface Kanyamwaya, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has more than 10 years of financial, economic, business, market, and aviation expertise, providing insights into Kenya and global trends.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has given Kenya Airways (KQ) seven days to compensate three passengers who missed their flights in Nairobi in February.

NCAA's director of consumer protection and public affairs, Michael Achimugu, said that KQ must compensate the affected passengers because it failed to provide full disclosure of terms of carriage for the passenger who was affected during her travel.

The airline is also accused of failing to process a refund and compensate the affected passengers for their lost baggage.

"In addition to the fine in line with the NCAA Regulations 2023, the airline has seven days to pay the refunds and compensation of 1000 special drawing rights to the affected passengers," said Achimugu in a notice posted on his X account on Wednesday, May 7.

He said that should Kenya Airways fail to comply with the authority's demand in seven days, it will be slapped with much stiffer penalties.

In the dispute, the passenger was travelling from Lagos, Nigeria, to Europe, with a connection through Nairobi.

However, upon arrival in Nairobi, Kenya, for her connecting flight to Paris, the airline discovered that she did not have a Schengen visa.

A Schengen visa is among the priority requirements for her to enter any European Union nation.

Upon noticing that she could not fly to her final destination, the passenger started engaging in a verbal exchange with a KQ agent at the airport's transfer desk.

Upon being seized with the matter, KQ said the incident, which was captured on a video that went viral, did not provide full context of the situation.

It insisted that its staff operated within the standard immigration policies.

The airline said that she was given another option for her travel, but she declined. In the new routes, the passenger was to fly through London and onward to Manchester, but she refused.

"Unhappy with the option, the guest demanded accommodation, which Kenya Airways does not provide in cases where boarding is denied due to visa requirements," said the airline in a statement it issued in February.

Meanwhile, the Kenyan government is in talks with its counterparts in Ghana to allow Kenya Airways to set up a secondary base in Accra.

The secondary hub will allow KQ, as the airline is known by its international code, to serve its West African market better.

The airline has been expanding its wings into new markets as part of a wider plan to rake in more revenue.

Source: TUKO.co.ke