The Chief Executive Officer of Dana Air, Jacky Hathiramani, has travelled out of Nigeria without paying hundreds of Nigerians, both passengers and staff members their refund for unused tickets and wages respectively.
In April 2024, Dana Air was grounded due to safety concerns after skidding runway 18L at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.
Dana had recorded a series of incidents and was finally grounded after the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority said its last incident raised concerns regarding the safety and financial viability of airline operations.
Since its suspension, both staff members and passengers have turned social media into a protest ground as many of them have at different times called for help from the Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, in getting their refunds.
The staff members have also staged a physical protest by shutting the entrance gate to the airline’s head office in Lagos.
Reacting in an exclusive interview with our correspondent on the refusal of airlines to make refunds for unused tickets, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, hinted that the owner of Dana Air had left the country.
When asked what will be the fate of hundreds of passengers and staff members being owed by the airline, Achimugu said nothing could be done as regards that at the moment.
“For Dana Air, they can’t pay any refund now, because Dana was suspended for poor financial health. That is the situation with Dana Air. And the owner has left the country and it is not our duty to chase him outside the country. I have summoned the airline twice, the owner has left the country and he has fired almost all of his staff. So, for now, there is really no one in the airline that we can hold responsible.
“The case is, If I owe you money and you reported me to the police and I was detained and beaten, if I don’t have the money there will be nothing that can be done and that is the scenario with Dana at the moment.”