You’ll be heavily punished if you violate Montreal Convention rules on baggage claims — NCAA warns airlines

By Nnasom David

The Federal Government has issued a stern warning to all airlines operating in Nigeria, stating that any carrier found violating the provisions of the Montreal Convention of 1999 or the Civil Aviation Act (CAA) 2022 in handling passenger baggage claims will face strict penalties.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the body regulating the aviation industry, gave the warning following reports that some domestic airlines still rely on outdated practices such as applying the Warsaw Convention or calculating compensation solely based on baggage weight.

According to the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, in a statement on his X handle, the Montreal Convention— to which Nigeria is a signatory — was established to modernize and unify global air travel laws, particularly regarding airline liability for passenger injury or death, baggage or cargo loss or damage, and flight delays.

“It has been fully domesticated through the Civil Aviation Act (CAA) 2022, making its provisions legally binding on all operators within the country,” he stated.

Achimugu emphasized that compliance is mandatory, insisting that all airlines must align their compensation processes and passenger relations policies with the Montreal Convention as reflected in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) 2023.

“The CAA 2022 and Nig. CARs 2023 remain sacrosanct. Any airline that fails to apply the proper laws in dealing with baggage issues will be heavily penalized going forward,” he warned.

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