By Ayo Kehinde
For the second time in a week, Kenya Airways is coming under public scrutiny over its services to Nigerian passengers.
A professor at the University of Lagos, who spoke anonymously to THISAGE has accused the Easter African state Airways of failing to disclose departure details to him despite booking round-trip ticket covering Lagos-Nairobi-Johannesburg and back to Lagos via Nairobi, recently.
The unfair treatment caused him to miss his scheduled flight from Nairobi to Lagos and left him stranded at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on September 20, 2024.
The professor in a complaint letter by his legal counsel, Nojim Tairu & Co, stated that he was compelled by the airline to pay $671 to board another flight from Nairobi to Lagos the following day.
He said through his counsel that, “we should also demand that Kenya Airways should be compelled to produce the CCTV footages that covered the entire period of the incident 20th-21st September, 2024 especially around Gate 1A .
“They will not only see the truth about the monitor, they will also see me in that terrible condition, the horrible and humiliating treatment from my interactions with the staff, and when I went to buy the medication from the Pharmacy in the departure hall.
“I’m an experienced traveller for goodness sake. I’m seeking justice for all Nigerians so treated and to stop Kenya Airways from this despicable and unacceptable behaviour.
“In all my 20 years of travelling experience, I have never missed my connecting flights. When you miss a flight you are merely fined, not asked to purchase a new one-way ticket like Kenya Airways did to me.”
The passenger, according to his counsel, demanded $3,979.107 as compensation for the cost of the missed flight, incurred expenses, and an additional N500,000 as legal fees. Failure to comply with his demands within 14 days would leave him with no alternative than to sue the airline.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has declared its intent to impose strict penalties on Kenya Airways for repeatedly violating aviation regulations in Nigeria.
At the centre of the controversy is the airline’s alleged mistreatment of a Nigerian passenger, Gloria Omisore, by its staff in Nairobi. Despite admitting fault, Kenya Airways has reportedly refused to issue an apology.
A Nigerian passenger, Omisore G. in a viral video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Aviation, Tunde Moshood, on Monday expressed frustration over alleged mistreatment of herself and other Nigerian passengers by Kenya Airways.
