Published 10th May, 2023

By Abimbola Abatta

Musa Ahmed (real name withheld), an Abuja resident, has accused Aero Contractors, an airline in Nigeria, of withholding his N53,000 for three months.

Ahmed told FIJ he booked an Abuja-Yola flight on February 11 so he could travel for his brother’s wedding the following week.

FIJ learned that Ahmed’s flight was scheduled for February 16, but he got a message from Aero Contractors the day before, stating that the flight had been cancelled.

“I got the message at about 18 hours before the scheduled flight. I checked some other flights, but they were all fully booked, so I had no other option but to go by road.”

Ahmed said he applied for a refund the following week by filling a refund enrollment form online but was yet to get a credit alert.

“I have sent several emails and called them several times, but they have not refunded my money,” he said.

“Perhaps, to get me off their back, they told me to go to my bank and fill a dispense error. It did not make any sense, but I succumbed and went to my bank. My bank said I had no business filling out a dispense error form.

“They got tired of responding to my emails at some point, because they blocked me.”

According to Ahmed, the airline sent him an email in March, stating that his refund application had been approved and was awaiting payment.

He, however, maintained that his bank account had not been credited with the money.

“Anytime I call them, they either refuse to respond or ask me to be patient if they eventually pick up the call. Surprisingly, my brother, whose flight was equally cancelled that day, as we planned to travel together, was refunded about three weeks later,” added the Abuja resident.

When FIJ called Aero Contractors on Tuesday, a customer care representative called Ada said her findings showed that the refund had been processed since March 3.

Ada promised to get back to FIJ on Wednesday. She had, however, not reached out at press time.

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