The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has condemned Saudi Airlines for the poor handling of 401 Kano-bound passengers who were left stranded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport,
Abuja, for nearly 48 hours. The crisis began when severe weather conditions in Kano forced the airline to divert to Abuja, but tensions escalated when the carrier reportedly returned to its base without making alternative arrangements to transport the passengers to their final destination.
NCAA spokesperson Michael Achimugu, who personally intervened to de-escalate threats of “extreme violence” at the terminal, described the situation as a critical failure in consumer protection. While other airlines affected by the same weather conditions successfully rerouted their passengers, Saudi Airlines left over 200 angry travelers without clear information or logistics support.
Achimugu noted that while the airline lacks a permanent operational base in Abuja, it remained legally obligated to ensure passenger welfare under Nigerian civil aviation regulations.
Following a high-level meeting between the NCAA and the Saudi Ambassador to Nigeria, the regulatory body re-emphasized that no foreign airline would be permitted to operate in disregard of local consumer rights. To resolve the impasse, the stranded passengers were eventually airlifted to Kano in batches using three UMZA flights.
A total of 181 passengers were transported across the three relief flights, bringing an end to a disruption that the NCAA characterized as transitioning from a force majeure event into a case of professional negligence.
In the aftermath of the intervention, Saudi Airlines has formally committed to compensating the affected passengers for the 48-hour ordeal. The NCAA credited the resolution to a coordinated effort between the Minister of Aviation, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) officials. The regulator remains on high alert as Harmattan weather patterns continue to cause flight diversions across Northern Nigeria.
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