Statistics released by the Federal Competition, Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) showed that Nigeria’s aviation industry ranked third with 674 complaints lodged against it in 2022.
The commission said in its publication that the financial services sector came first with 5,709 complaints, electricity and power took the second position with 3,293, telecommunications, fourth with 605 and e-commerce, fifth with 508 complaints during the period in review.
Others were electrical electronics, 415; food and beverages, 222; satellite/cable services, 122; postal/courier services, 71; road transport, 69; land/construction, 65; real estate/mortgages 63; health services 52, education 29 and others.
The total complaints received by the commission across zonal offices were 13, 580 from January-December, 2022.
Sectoral analysis of complaints settled shown that 3, 327 out of a total of 13,580, complaints were resolved.
Compared to 2021, the commission said it received 10,178 complaints and resolved 1, 990.
Financial services also topped the list with 2,736 complaints followed by electricity/power with 3043, telecommunications, 510, aviation, 459 and electrical/electronics 502.
Speaking on the aviation industry statistics, the director of operations at FCCPC, Dr. Adamu Abdullahi said most of the complaints were about delays, cancellations, pilfered baggage, lost baggage, airport experience, general condition of the terminals, cooling system and discourteous service among others.
Abdullahi said the agency has an understanding with the aviation industry and whenever FCCPC receive complaints that have to do with the sector, it treats them with dispatch.
However, Abdullahi frowned at the failure of airlines to let their passengers know if there is a problem.
”Most times if you explain to passenger what is happening they can understand but the problem is, operators don’t get out and tell the public what is actually going on with their operations.
”You buy a ticket you come and sit in the airport hours unending, you don’t even get any sort of information on the status of your flight and that really angers passengers. If you normally carry them along and tell them, these are the challenges that you are facing, it normally brings down tempers and that is always what we encourage our service providers to do,” he said.
Abdullahi also disclosed that the commission was working on a memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) adding “whenever we have any complaints pertaining to aviation, we normally pass it to aviation and give them a time limit.”
