NCAA, NANTA go after illegal travel agencies, banks

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) have vowed to go after unregistered travel agencies often accused of sharp practices in the downstream sector of the aviation industry.

They also stated that ticket-selling banks will also be targeted in the crackdown.

This follows a statistics released by NCAA, revealing that 7.7 million passengers flew the local routes, while international passengers accounted for 3.6 million, totalling 11.3 million travellers in 2017, amounting to $1.4 billion (N503.3 billion) earned by Foreign airlines operating in Nigeria.

Though, industry stakeholders attributed the boom to improved capacity by a couple of airlines as well as upward review of the official exchange rate for the aviation industry from N306 to N359.5 per dollar.

Some of the benefitting airlines include; Ethiopian Airlines with 416,229 passengers, British Airways (275,223), Air France (254,290), Lufthansa (245,151), Emirates (242,033), Turkish (219,551), Virgin Atlantic Airways (185,994), KLM Airlines (185,999) and Qatar Airways got 170,159 figures.

The list also included Egypt Air, with 151,018 passengers, South African Airways (140,273), Asky Airways (119,154), African World Airlines (112,542), Rwandair (108,256) and Kenya Airways airlifted 93,307.

The rest were Delta Air Lines with a passenger turnover of 93,244; Royal Air Maroc (88,015), Etihad (84,984) and Med-View’s 72,175 tallies.

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Bernard Bankole, president of NANTA, confirmed to journalists, the figures at the weekend in Lagos.

He stated, that amidst the challenges in 2017, the airlines relatively picked up, adding that the current reality indicates that there is a lot of money in the travel business to attract banks and agents hence the need to curb faking in the industry.

“A lot of them out there are not travel agencies or agents but simply there to swindle unsuspecting travellers. So, people get to pay for ticket only to find out at the airport that they have been scammed. And instead of calling names, they will label all travel agents as thieves. That is how bad it has been”.

The enforcement which is to commence in March, will go after illegal travel agencies and agents, even as ticket-selling banks, and are to face prosecution henceforth.

“We, at NANTA, will be most delighted to see the identification scheme come to reality when it’ is launched in March for registered operators only.”

“This would not only change the perception of the public, but will also give a sense of belonging to the practitioners as true professionals that we are”, he further said.

Bankole also emphasized that the scheme comes with strategic security features, which will check the shady activities of “fake and fly-by-night operators.

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