Kenya Airways has expressed regret to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and a Nigerian passenger, Gloria Omisore, for her maltreatment and for providing a false statement regarding the incident.
The apology came after a meeting between NCAA representatives and airline management in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s Director of Consumer Protection and Public Affairs, Kenya Airways acknowledged that they were at fault for not recognizing the problem before airlifting Omisore from Lagos.
The airline also expressed regret for obfuscating facts in their previous statement.
Achimugu revealed that he had insisted on Kenya Airways apologizing to the NCAA and the passenger publicly.
The airline has since issued a revised statement that accurately depicts what transpired in Nairobi.
The incident began when Omisore contacted Kenya Airways before her trip to inquire about her eligibility to travel on a specific route. Despite disclosing that she lacked a Schengen visa but had British residency status, she was assured of her eligibility. However, she was later maltreated by the airline, prompting the NCAA to intervene.
Kenya Airways’ duty manager, Ezenwa Ehumadu; station manager, Eric Mukira; and country manager, James Nganga, were in attendance at the meeting with the NCAA.
The airline’s apology is seen as a step towards resolving the incident and ensuring that similar incidents do not occur in the future.