More than 3,000 Nigerian passengers returning from Saudi Arabia have been left without their luggage after Saudi Air failed to bring their belongings home, leaving an estimated 180 tonnes of baggage stranded in Jeddah.
The development triggered anger and frustration among affected passengers, many of whom arrived in Nigeria without their personal effects after completing their journey.
Responding through a post on X, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, which has intervened in the matter, confirmed the scale of the baggage backlog and said efforts were underway to compel the airline to resolve the situation.
The NCAA spokesperson, Michael Achimugu, acknowledged the complaints from affected passengers, stressing that the aviation regulator was neither unaware of the situation nor sitting idly by.
“We hear your complaints, and we read your comments. Nobody is happy about this, and we are not silent,” Achimugu said.
He disclosed that the NCAA had already intervened in the matter, resulting in the transportation of eight tonnes of luggage from Jeddah.
“When the NCAA intervened last week, eight tons of luggage was flown in. However, considering that over three thousand passengers are affected, it means that an estimated 180 tons of passenger luggage are still stuck in Jeddah,” he said.
Achimugu said the NCAA had been in direct contact with the airline’s management in an effort to secure the return of the remaining luggage. According to him, he spent the night engaging the airline’s country manager over the crisis, even as the manager was dealing with a personal emergency.
“I have spent all night discussing with the country manager whose son, sadly, is undergoing surgery at the moment,” Achimugu said.
He added that the NCAA had expressed sympathy with the manager’s situation but had also made it clear that the airline could not allow the baggage crisis to remain unresolved because of the circumstances.
“While we empathised with him, we have been praying with him for two days over this, and I have also stressed the need to have someone else take over his duties, albeit temporarily,” he said.
Achimugu said the country manager had subsequently referred him to an official identified as Omar, with whom he had to continue discussions on the issue. “He has directed me to one Omar, with whom I will be having a conversation this morning,” he said.
According to Achimugu, the airline has also assured passengers that it would compensate those affected, provided they formally lodge complaints through its designated platform.
Saudi Air has directed affected passengers to submit their complaints through its online complaints portal. The airline has further promised to fly the outstanding luggage into Nigeria within the next few days.
For passengers seeking refunds for eligible tickets, the airline has provided a separate refund platform through its refund portal. The NCAA said Saudi Air had cited specific operational challenges out of Kano as one of the factors affecting its ability to carry passengers’ luggage in recent times.
The regulator, however, said it was stepping in to assist the airline in resolving those operational difficulties while insisting that the interests of passengers must remain central to the process.
Achimugu said the airline had also been reminded of its responsibilities to passengers. “Saudi has been advised to take consumer protection very seriously,” he said.
In another development arising from the crisis, Saudi Air has appointed a new country manager to oversee its Nigeria operations. The new manager is expected to improve the airline’s relationship with the NCAA and strengthen communication with Nigerian passengers.
The NCAA, for its part, has assured passengers that it will continue to engage the airline until the matter is resolved. Achimugu appealed to affected passengers to remain informed and ensure that their complaints are formally lodged with the airline.
“Be assured that we are not sleeping on this,” he said. He also acknowledged that he might not be able to respond individually to every passenger raising the issue online.
“I may not be able to reply directly to EVERY tag, but you can help by reposting this until it gets to all Saudi passengers that have been affected,” he said.
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