By Ola Kay
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has ordered domestic airline operators to immediately include a mandatory special needs or assistance request option into their ticket reservation manifests to support Persons with Reduced Mobility- PRM and air passengers with disabilities.
This was contained in a press release issued on Friday, signed by Michael Achimugu on behalf of the Director-General of Civil Aviation, reinforcing existing regulatory requirements and aimed at ensuring inclusive, accessible and safe air transportation across the country.
NCAA referenced its earlier correspondence dated April 13, 2022, which instructed airlines to conspicuously place a mandatory field, box or column on their online ticket booking platforms to enable passengers to request assistance or provide advance notice of special needs before completing ticket purchases.
The regulatory authority stated that the directive is further backed by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) 2023, Part 19.12.3.1, which mandates airlines, travel agents and tour operators to provide travellers with the opportunity to request assistance at the point of booking across all sales channels, including online platforms and telephone reservations.
Similarly, the regulations mandate airlines to include a designated section on ticket portals through which persons with disabilities or their assistants can request special needs assistance, while actively enquiring if any passenger within a booking party may require assistance at the airport or during flight operations.
Following this development, the NCAA directed all affected airlines to visibly integrate the mandatory special needs assistance request option into their reservation systems, ensuring that passengers can request such support before completing the ticket purchase process.
To ensure compliance within a reasonable timeframe, airlines have been granted seven days ultimatum from the receipt of the directive, with the NCAA warning that failure to do so may attract regulatory enforcement actions in line with applicable aviation laws.
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