Kenya Airways has tendered an apology to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority for the mistreatment of a Nigerian passenger, Gloria Omisore, and for releasing a misleading statement regarding the incident.
The airline’s apology came after a meeting between its management and NCAA officials in Abuja on Tuesday.
NCAA’s Director of Consumer Protection and Public Affairs,Michael Achimugu revealed this in a post on his official X handle.
“Their team has apologised for the obfuscation of facts in their earlier statement. They also admitted that phone call or not, it was the airline’s fault for failing to identify the issue before airlifting the passenger from Lagos,” Achimugu wrote.
He emphasized that his responsibility is to safeguard the interests of all aviation stakeholders, passengers and airlines alike, while ensuring strict compliance with civil aviation regulations.
Achimugu further disclosed that he had requested Kenya Airways to issue a public apology to both Omisore and the NCAA. Following this, the airline released a new statement reflecting the accurate details of the events in Nairobi.
Present at the meeting were Kenya Airways’ Country Manager, James Nganga; Station Manager, Eric Mukira; and Duty Manager, Ezenwa Ehumadu.
According to the NCAA, Omisore had contacted Kenya Airways before her trip to confirm if she was eligible to fly on the Manchester-Paris-Nairobi-Lagos route inbound and Lagos-Nairobi-Paris-Manchester outbound.
She informed the airline that she was a Nigerian citizen with a British residence permit but did not have a Schengen visa. Despite this, she was assured of her eligibility to travel.
“Based on this information, she purchased the ticket and successfully flew into Nigeria via Paris and Nairobi without incident,” Achimugu explained.
However, during her return trip, the airline boarded her in Lagos without verifying the transit visa requirement for the Paris leg.
This oversight was only discovered when she arrived in Nairobi. Kenya Airways then offered her a direct flight to London at no additional cost but asked her to endure an extra 10-hour wait after a prior 17-hour layover.
“Exhausted and unwell, the passenger requested accommodation and care, citing the airline’s error. When this was denied, an argument ensued between her and the airline staff,” Achimugu added.
The NCAA condemned the conduct of Kenya Airways staff, particularly their unprofessional behavior during the incident.
“I expressed deep disappointment over the unruly behaviour of the airline’s staff, particularly the disparaging remarks about the Nigerian government, insinuating that nothing would be done regardless of how Nigerians were treated,” Achimugu stated.
He clarified that Omisore did not refuse to board the alternative flight, as alleged by the airline in its initial statement.
Instead, her frustration arose from being denied basic care despite the airline’s admitted mistake.
Kenya Airways was instructed to refund and compensate Omisore for the “avoidable humiliation and distress” she endured, which also jeopardized her job security.
Although the airline initially requested 72 hours to respond, the NCAA granted them only 48 hours.
“Truth should not be that hard to publish, considering how swiftly the misleading statement was released,” Achimugu remarked.
Further updates will be provided once Kenya Airways complies with the directive.
The PUNCH had previously reported the dispute between NCAA and Kenya Airways over the allegations of Omisore’s mistreatment during her journey from Lagos to Manchester.
A viral video captured a heated confrontation between Omisore and airline officials at the Nairobi transfer desk.
In its earlier statement, the airline alleged that Omisore became unruly after being denied boarding due to visa issues and claimed that she threw used sanitary pads at staff, an accusation Omisore has not publicly addressed.
Kenya Airways maintained that it does not provide accommodation for passengers denied boarding over visa-related issues, insisting that it is the passenger’s responsibility to ensure they have the necessary travel documentation.
