COMESA roots for better protection of airline passenger rights

August 27, 2024 in Business, Trade & Industry, Transport, Travel & Tourism by Editor

African air transport regulators should fast-track the domestication of consumer protection regulations as defined under Annex 6 of the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD), as a way of improving the travel experience of air passengers within Africa.

That was the rallying call during the opening of a Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa COMESA, capacity-building workshop for the 12-country eastern Africa cluster, on Annex 6- Consumer Protection Regulations of YD. The five-day event is running in Kampala from August 26 to August 30 with Uganda Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan in attendance.

Presiding over the opening, Uganda Civil Aviation Authority Director General, Fred Bamwesigye, observed that consumer protection remained inadequate within Africa’s air transport industry, with air travelers often subjected to long delays and flight cancellations without compensation. On the flip side, air carriers are quick to impose arbitrary charges on passengers who fail to report for travel on time or prefer to change their travel schedules.

“Consumers often experience delays and cancellations with airlines citing technical reasons, yet passengers are penalized for missing flights. This training should clearly define these so-called technical reasons so that consumers are protected from unfair practices,” he said.

Bamwesigye who gave updates on Uganda’s efforts to domesticate consumer protection regulations, added that effective implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD), would require a convergence of efforts between the different actors such as COMESA, the African Civil Aviation Commission AfCAC and regional economic groupings such as the East African Community and others on the continent.

“There is a critical need to establish consumer protection units and develop complementary regulations that domesticate Annex 6 at both national and regional levels where they do not already exist,” Bamwesigye said.

Paul Rwegasha, the EAC’s Principal Civil Aviation Officer, explained that the workshop would equip participants with a foundational knowledge of the laws governing the regulation and supervision of market conduct for the benefit of air transport consumers. “Such laws are intended to prevent unfair practices and ensure that airlines and service providers do not take advantage of passengers,” he said.

In his remarks, COMESA’s Regional Aviation Expert Nicholas Ndema, said that the workshop aimed to deepen understanding of air passenger protection regulations and how to better handle claims related to delays and cancellations through public information and prompt response to consumer complaints.

He explained that working with AfCAC, COMESA envisions a continent-wide system of consumer protection units spread across regional economic groupings and member states. “These units should link passengers with various stakeholders, including airlines, airport operators, tour operators, travel agents, and ground handling agencies to ensure the smooth operation of air transport with minimal disruptions.”

African ministers for transport, infrastructure, energy and tourism adopted Annex 6 of the YD during their meeting in Lome, Togo, on 17th March 2017.