Kenya Airways apologises for mistreatment of Nigerian passenger after NCAA intervention

Abdullateef Fowewe

The Kenya Airways has met with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to address the mistreatment of Nigerian passenger, Gloria Omisore, admitting that their previous official statement was misleading.

The incident, which gained widespread attention after a viral video surfaced, involved Omisore being denied proper care during a lengthy layover in Nairobi due to alleged visa issues.

During a meeting held on Tuesday, NCAA officials confronted the airline about their handling of the situation, underscoring that Omisore had been misinformed prior to her flight regarding her eligibility to travel.

The NCAA’s Director for Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, expressed disappointment over the airline’s staff behaviour and stated that the airline must take responsibility for the incident.

Achimugu wrote, “As Director for Consumer Protection and Public Affairs at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, my duty is to protect all stakeholders, including passengers and airlines.
I have carried out my duties with utmost respect to the regulations of the CAA.

“In respect of the now viral case between a Nigerian passenger, Gloria Omisore, and Kenyan Airways, I summoned the airline to my Abuja office today, Tuesday, February 4, 2025.

“In attendance were the airline’s Country Manager, James Nganga; Station Manager, Eric Mukira; and Duty Manager, Ezenwa Ehumadu.
The outcome of the meeting is as follows:

“We informed the airline that the passenger had called Kenya Airways via +254 711 024 747 on December 7, 2025, to inquire if she was qualified to fly the Manchester-Paris-Nairobi-Lagos (inbound) and Lagos-Nairobi-Paris-Manchester route. According to the passenger, the airline told her that she was qualified, despite her informing them that she is Nigerian, who holds a British resident permit, but no Shenghen visa.

“It was based on this information from Kenya Airways that she proceeded to purchase the ticket. She flew the first leg into Nigeria via Paris and Nairobi with no incidence.”

However, the NCAA has mandated that all airlines operating in Nigeria must have trained customer relations personnel to handle such issues effectively. Following the meeting, Kenya Airways has been given 48 hours to verify recorded calls related to Omisore’s inquiries before purchasing her ticket.

“The airline has asked for time to check their recorded call log and confirm if that call actually happened. They have been granted 48 hours to do so.

“For her outbound flight, the airline boarded and flew the passenger out of Lagos despite knowing that she needed a transit visa for the Paris leg.
This fault was that of the airline, and it was only discovered in Nairobi.

“Upon discovery, the airline then offered Ms Gloria a direct flight to London at no extra cost to her, on the condition that she’d wait another 10 hours in addition to the 17-hour layover she had just endured.
Since she was bleeding and exhausted, the passenger demanded accommodation and care because the error was that of the airline. It was when she was denied care that an argument ensued between her and the airline counter staff.

“This is contrary to the intentionally misleading official statement by Kenya Airways claiming that the lady simply refused to re-routing directly to London and started to throw pads around.

“Their team has apologized for the obfuscation of facts in that statement. They have also admitted that, phone call or not, it was the fault of the airline not to have discovered the problem before airlifting the passenger from Lagos.

“At the NCAA, our regulations mandate all airlines operating in Nigeria to have dedicated customer relations desks/officers who are trained to mediate issues of this nature. If there was compliance with the regulations, the staff would have handled the situation better, and it would never have escalated to the level it did.

“ ‘CALL YOUR PRESIDENT’
I expressed deep disappointment about the unruly Kenya Airways staff who insulted the office of the President of Nigeria, insinuating that the airline could do anything to Nigerians and NOTHING would happen. I asked if this manner of addressing customer complaints was the airline’s standard protocol.
The country manager stated in very clear terms that the staff was out of order and apologised for the outburst. When asked what disciplinary measures will be taken against their personnel, he said that his bosses in Nairobi would decide,” Achimugu had written.