NCAA releases update on Dana Air CEO allegedly leaving Nigeria without refund of unused ticket fees

• Jacky Hathiramani, CEO of Dana Air, left Nigeria without issuing compensation to hundreds of Nigerians
• In April 2024, Dana Air was grounded at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos due to a slippage on runway 18L, raising safety concerns
• Since the airline’s suspension, both employees and passengers have been staging demonstrations on social media

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has 5 years of experience in the economy, technology and capital markets.

Dana Air CEO Jacky Hathiramani has moved out Nigeria without paying hundreds of Nigerians, both customers and employees, refunds for unused tickets and salaries respectively.

Dana Air was grounded in April 2024 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos after skidding on runway 18L, raising safety concerns.

The the airline was grounded after recording a series of events. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nigeria he said he was encouraged by recent events questions regarding the safety and financial stability of aviation operations.

Both workers and passengers have been using social media as a platform to protest since the suspension.

Many people have turned to him for help at various times Festus KeyamoMinister of Aviation and Space Development in order to receive their return.

The employees also carried out a physical protest by blocking the entrance gate to the airline’s headquarters in Lagos.

The NCAA is speaking

In an interview with The Punch, Michael Achimugu, director of public affairs and consumer protection at the NCAA, responded to airlines’ reluctance to refund unused tickets, suggesting that Dana Airthe owner left the country.

Achimugu said nothing could be done at this time regarding the fate of hundreds of passengers and employees owed to the airline.

“Dana Air cannot issue any refund at this time as Dana has been suspended due to its poor financial situation. This is exactly the situation with Dana Air. And the owner has left the country and it is not our responsibility to chase him outside the country. I called the airline twice, the owner left the country and fired almost all of his employees. So for now there is no one at the airline whom we can hold accountable.

“The thing is, if I owe you money and you report me to the police and I get stopped and beaten, if I don’t have the money, nothing can be done and that’s the scenario with Dana right now.”

Foreign airlines sell tickets in dollars

Legit.ng reported that the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agents (NANTA) said that some foreign airlines still charge fees in dollars for your tickets.

However, the association appealed to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on this matter, maintaining that the investment violates Nigerian law.

Representatives of NANTA, led by its National President, Yinka Folami, disclosed at the Consumer Protection Summit in Lagos that it had petitioned the NCAA for investment.

Source: Legit.ng