Abuja, Nigeria – More than a year after her flight was cancelled, an Abuja resident, Otitodilichukwu Karis, is still waiting for a refund of ₦72,000 from Dana Air despite repeated promises from the airline.
Karis had booked an Abuja-to-Lagos flight scheduled for April 28, 2024, but received a cancellation notice on April 26, just two days before her trip. The flight was cancelled after the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) suspended Dana Air following a safety incident.
At the time, the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, ordered an operational audit of the airline, while Dana Air publicly apologised and pledged to process refunds for affected customers.
Karis complied with the airline’s instructions by sending proof of payment and her bank details. However, she told FIJ that after submitting the documents, Dana Air stopped responding.
“They (Dana) asked me to send my bank details for a refund, which I did. After that, they went mute,” she said. “I sent another mail and they did not respond. So, I sent national aviation (NCAA) a mail.”
Despite escalating her complaint to the NCAA, Karis has not received her refund. FIJ’s checks also showed that Dana Air missed a deadline the NCAA issued in August 2024, which gave the airline two weeks to settle all outstanding refunds.
“This means that a two-week timeline was given because the meeting was held last week and feedback is expected next week. We will reach out to affected passengers,” Michael Achimugu, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, had explained at the time.
But months later, passengers like Karis remain unpaid, while Dana Air has gone silent. When FIJ attempted to reach the airline this week, its customer care line was not allocated, and an email inquiry had not been answered as of press time.
The development adds to growing concerns that Dana Air continues to hold on to customers’ money without consequences, leaving affected passengers stranded financially.
