Kenya Airways Apologises for Ill-Treatment of Nigerian Passenger, Admits to Misleading Statement

Kenya Airways has issued an apology to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) over the ill-treatment of a Nigerian passenger, Ms Gloria Omisore, and has admitted that its initial public statement on the matter was misleading.

The airline’s representatives – Country Manager James Nganga, Station Manager Eric Mukira, and Duty Manager Ezenwa Ehumadu – were summoned to the NCAA’s office in Abuja on Tuesday for a meeting with the Director for Consumer Protection and Public Affairs.

The meeting was convened by Mr Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA to address the controversy surrounding Ms Omisore’s ordeal during her journey from Lagos to Manchester via Nairobi and Paris.

During the meeting, NCAA officials informed Kenya Airways that Ms Omisore had called the airline on 7 December 2024 via +254 711 024 747 to confirm her eligibility to travel on the Manchester-Paris-Nairobi-Lagos (inbound) and Lagos-Nairobi-Paris-Manchester (outbound) route.

Despite informing the airline that she was a Nigerian with a British residence permit but without a Schengen visa, she was reportedly assured that she was qualified to fly.

Based on this information, she proceeded to purchase her ticket and successfully flew into Nigeria via Paris and Nairobi without incident.

However, for her return flight, the airline boarded her in Lagos despite knowing she required a transit visa for Paris – an error that was only discovered upon her arrival in Nairobi.

Kenya Airways has requested 48 hours to verify its call logs and confirm whether Ms Omisore was indeed misinformed during her initial inquiry.

Upon discovering the visa issue, the airline offered Ms Omisore a direct flight to London at no extra cost.

However, this required her to endure an additional 10-hour wait on top of the 17-hour layover she had already experienced.

Exhausted and bleeding, Ms Omisore requested accommodation and medical care, as the airline’s failure to detect the visa issue had led to her predicament.

When her request was denied, an argument ensued between her and Kenya Airways staff.

This account directly contradicts Kenya Airways’ initial public statement, which alleged that Ms Omisore had simply refused re-routing and had started “throwing sanitary pads around”.

The airline’s officials apologised for this misleading representation of events and admitted that the incident was entirely their fault, regardless of whether the call had taken place.

The NCAA criticised Kenya Airways for its failure to properly train customer relations staff to handle such disputes in compliance with Nigerian aviation regulations.

The regulatory body mandates all airlines operating in Nigeria to maintain dedicated customer service desks to mediate issues and prevent escalation.

“If there was compliance with these regulations, the staff would have handled the situation better, and it would never have escalated to the level it did,” the NCAA’s Consumer Protection Director stated.

The NCAA also expressed deep disappointment over the unruly behaviour of Kenya Airways staff, who reportedly mocked Nigerian authorities, insinuating that the airline could mistreat Nigerian passengers without consequences.

The official recounted how airline personnel dismissively told Ms Omisore to “call her president”, implying that nothing would be done about the incident.

When questioned about whether such conduct was standard protocol for Kenya Airways, Country Manager James Nganga admitted that the staff member had acted unprofessionally and apologised for the remark.

However, he stated that disciplinary action would be determined by the airline’s headquarters in Nairobi.

The NCAA has given Kenya Airways 48 hours to provide its call records and verify Ms Omisore’s claims.

The authority also reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that all airlines operating in Nigeria adhere to passenger protection regulations and that such incidents do not recur.

Kenya Airways is now under pressure to take corrective action following the public outcry over Ms Omisore’s treatment.