Kenya Airways risks getting sanctioned as the airline is yet to comply with the directive of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) concerning an exchange it had with a Nigerian passenger, Gloria Omisore.

The exchange, as seen in a viral video, showed a Kenya Airways employee telling Omisore to call Nigeria's President and report to him after the passenger threatened to inform the Minister of Aviation and Aero Dynamics about an alleged ill-treatment she received from the airline.

In a statement, Kenya Airways stated that upon further investigation, they established that the viral video of her exchange with their staff did not provide full context.

The airline revealed that Omisore was traveling from Lagos to Nairobi, Paris, and Manchester, adding that trouble emerged when it was discovered that she did not have a SCHENGEN Visa, a requirement for her to enter any European Union country.

"She was offered an alternative to travel through London and onward to Manchester, which she refused," the airline said.

"Unhappy with this option, the guest demanded accommodation, which Kenya Airways does not provide in cases where boarding is denied due to visa requirements. It is the responsibility of passengers to ensure they have the necessary documentation for their journey.

"In a distressing turn of events, the guest resorted to inappropriate behaviour by removing and throwing 3 used sanitary pads at our employees."

NCAA slams Kenya Airways

Reacting, the Spokesperson for the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, stated that Kenya Airways has a long history of maltreatment against Nigerian passengers, including staff of the NCAA.

This was as he advised Omisore that unruly behaviour is inexcusable at any airport because she could be blacklisted by the airline, and even pay fines.

Achimugu further stated that Kenya Airways had no basis to have tried to forcefully delete her video.

He continued on X, "You should not have allowed her to board your flight from Nigeria IF she was not qualified due to visa requirements. You issued her boarding passes and let her leave Lagos.

"She flew into Nigeria via your airline on the same route. She claims to have called the airline before paying for the ticket and she was told that she was qualified since she own a BRP.

"The statements made by your staff were inappropriate for someone in the industry. 'Call your president,' insinuates a lot."

The NCAA spokesperson then summoned Kenya Airways, saying they must provide proof that Omisore threw used sanitary pads at their employees.

He said, "You will be asked to provide CCTV footage showing that she threw her used sanitary towels at your staff rather than place them on the table when asked by your personnel to provide evidence that she was bleeding.

"The NCAA has invited your Ag. Station Manager in Lagos to a meeting by 1pm today. We will review all of the issues. Attendance is mandatory."

He then warned the airline to immediately airlift Omisore safely to her final destination within a couple of hours or "there will be ramifications. There are limits that must not be crossed and, in 2025, you will treat Nigerian passengers better."

Later on, Achimugu said the airline asked for an extension of time to enable them to provide further details.

"Security personnel are ensuring the safety of the passenger. Per our discussion with the station manager, the passenger will be flown back to Nigeria tonight. This is agreeable on all sides," he said.

Passenger heads back to Lagos -

In his latest update on the matter, Achimugu said Omisore had safely boarded a Kenyan Airways flight, heading to Lagos.

He said she would be received by NCAA Consumer Protection Officers on arrival at about 2210hrs, tonight.

"The Authority will meet with the passenger tomorrow to be advised on proper conflict resolution protocols per future flights. Regardless of extreme provocation from airline personnel, unruly behaviour is not permitted at the airport or on the aircraft.

"In respect of the request by Kenyan Airways, the Authority has allowed the airline a 24-hour extension, after which the meeting will hold, or the NCAA will make a determination without further input from them," he said.

At the meeting, the NCAA was able to prove to the airline that Omisore called them and they told her that she was qualified, despite her informing them that she is Nigerian and holds a British resident permit, but no Shenghen visa.

The NCAA said it was based on this information from Kenya Airways that she proceeded to purchase the ticket.

The NCAA spokesperson said, "For her outbound flight, the airline boarded and flew the passenger out of Lagos despite knowing that she needed a transit visa for the Paris leg. This fault was that of the airline, and it was only discovered in Nairobi."

Achimugu made this known at the meeting with the airline's Country Manager, James Nganga; Station Manager, Eric Mukira; and Duty Manager, Ezenwa Ehumadu on Tuesday.

He said upon discovery, the airline then offered Gloria a direct flight to London at no extra cost to her, on the condition that she'd wait another 10 hours in addition to the 17-hour layover she had just endured.

He said since she was bleeding and exhausted, the passenger demanded accommodation and care because the error was that of the airline.

Achimugu said, "It was when she was denied care that an argument ensued between her and the airline counter staff.

"This is contrary to the intentionally misleading official statement by Kenya Airways claiming that the lady simply refused to re-route directly to London and started to throw pads around.

"Their team has apologized for the obfuscation of facts in that statement. They have also admitted that phone call or not, it was the fault of the airline not to have discovered the problem before airlifting the passenger from Lagos."

He said Kenya Airways agreed that their statement was not reflective of the facts of the matter.

Achimugu expressed deep disappointment about the unruly Kenya Airways staff who insulted the office of the President of Nigeria, insinuating that the airline could do anything to Nigerians and nothing would happen.

"I asked if this manner of addressing customer complaints was the airline's standard protocol.

"The country manager stated in very clear terms that the staff was out of order and apologized for the outburst. When asked what disciplinary measures would be taken against their personnel, he said that his bosses in Nairobi would decide," he said.

Achimugu said the NCAA Consumer Protection Department determined that Kenya Airways must render a public apology to the passenger and the NCAA.

"That the airline issues an updated official statement that reflects the true events that happened in Nairobi. Ms Gloria did not refuse to fly to London as claimed in that statement. The airline failed to admit that they permitted the passenger to purchase that ticket and that they failed to spot the problem from Lagos. The statement also fails to inform the general public that the lady only became angry when she was asked to wait another 10 hours without accommodation and care.

"That the airline will refund and compensate the passenger for the avoidable humiliation she has suffered and the threats to her job," he said.

He added that Kenya Airways asked for 72 hours to revert, but the NCAA gave the airline 48 hours because "truth should not be that hard to publish, given how hastily the misleading statement was put out there."

However, MyNigeria noticed that Kenya Airways is yet to comply with the NCAA directives over 72 hours since the meeting where it was issued.

The directive included an updated official statement that will reflect the true events that happened in Nairobi.

Kenya Airways is yet to issue the required statement. Also, the airline still has on their social media account the statement that mislead the public about the Nairobi incident.

When MyNigeria contacted the NCAA spokesperson, he said the world could see clearly that he had given Kenya Airways enough time to right their wrong.

He said, "Today, my team will be meeting to review the situation. We did advise the airline that, failure to do the needful, we will be forced to make a determination without their further input. We will check our mails today to see if they have sent a response of any sort. Otherwise, we will go ahead and make input.

"Please, be advised that sanctioning an airline is a process. The most important thing is that we first announce an initiation of enforcement action, and that comes from me. I'll send it to the legal department, who will then assess all the options we have legally to make sure that our document is water tight, and then the sanction will be signed into enforcement.

"I'm committed to ensuring that the airline does not get away with what they did with the obfuscation of facts. In any case, I did point out that they were other infringement against the regulations that the airline had, which I read out to them during that meeting. And we will combine all of these cases together and do the needful.

"Just last month, I sanctioned five airlines. There's no big deal in sanctioning Kenya Airways. Justice must not only be done, but be seen to have been done. So the world can see that I have given the airline time to do what is right. Were rules broken? Absolutely. Did they lie? Absolutely. We will do the needful.

"Everyone knows I always provide updates, but also, I work within the ambit of the regulation. So I must also prepare a second step in the way."