Visa issue behind boarding denial –NCAA

By Chinelo Obogo

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority) has reacted to the case involving a Nigerian passenger who accused Egypt Air of discrimination after being denied boarding.

According to the Authority, preliminary findings suggest the incident may have been linked to a visa-related technical issue rather than discriminatory treatment.

NCAA’s spokesperson Mike Achimugu, said on his X handle on Sunday that contrary to the information he received and disseminated earlier, the video which the lady known as Ms Dara posted where she complained about the refusal of Egypt Air to board her, was not from last year but was made two days ago.

Achimugu said that the timing of the video had initially caused confusion because no dispute had been visibly recorded at the airport. NCAA’s spokesperson said that he reached out to Egypt Air to find out what happened and that according to the airline , the passenger presented a return ticket issued by United Airlines, which should have met the requirements for boarding but that the airline said she lacked either a United States visa or a valid transit visa for the proposed route, which was Barcelona–Washington–Lagos.

The airline further said that without a US transit visa, it could not board her as she risked being stranded in Washington’s Dulles Airport and would have no legal basis to transit. When she was informed , Dara reportedly requested to speak with the station manager, and that meeting, according to the airline, was calm and professional.

Achimugu said: “The manager claims to have explained to her that it is better she is not boarded from Nigeria than to be stuck in Barcelona. According to the manager, there was no rancour, and the passenger did not express any anger.”

‎‎The airline said that due to the fact the conversation they had with Ms Dara was cordial, they were surprised when the video surfaced as according to them, they had no reason to believe the encounter had left the passenger aggrieved.

‎‎Upon further enquiry, Achimugu said he tried to find out whether Dara’s return ticket was operated by Lufthansa rather than United Airlines and that he reached out to United Airlines, who confirmed that the answer depends on whether the ticket was booked as a codeshare flight with their partner airline Lufthansa, a route that would have connected Lagos via Frankfurt, bypassing the US entirely.

‎‎Achimugu said the issue would be resolved if Dara shows a copy of her ticket, adding that the NCAA remains willing to pursue the matter fully in her favour if the airline’s account proves inaccurate. He then appealed to members of the public who know her to urge her to come forward.

‎‎”If you know her, kindly have her respond to my message, and we can protect her rights if she proves the airline’s perspective to be incorrect,” he said.