ECOWAS approves increased compensation for passengers affected by flight cancellation

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has approved a higher compensation rate for passengers whose flights are cancelled or delayed across member states.

The approval is contained in the final communique of the ECOWAS Sixty-Sixth Ordinary Summit.

According to the statement, the bloc, chaired by President Bola Tinubu, discussed the severe negative impact of high air transport costs on the growth of the region’s aviation industry as well as ECOWAS’s larger economic and regional integration agendas.

The communique said in order to lower the severe impact of the cost of air transport services in the community, the ECOWAS authority adopted the supplementary Act to the regional common policy on aviation charges, taxes, and fees.

“The Authority also endorses the regional strategy which includes, among others, a 25% reduction of passenger and security charges and the removal of taxes applied to air transport, in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) principles and procedures on Taxes, Fees and Charges, which prohibits taxing of air transport services based on the non-relatedness, transparent and related pricing principles,” the communique reads.

“To ensure a holistic improvement of the region’s air transport industry, the Authority also approves the Regulation establishing a common framework for Aviation Security and the increased rate of compensation for passengers who are denied boarding of flights through an amendment of Article 4 of the Supplementary Act on delayed boarding, flight cancellations and denied boarding.

“The authority directs ministers in-charge of Air Transport and the Commission to coordinate and monitor the effective and uniform application of the Supplementary Acts and Regulations in all Member States, while ensuring that Airlines also comply with cost reduction obligations to ensure that ticket prices reflect the reductions to benefit all Community citizens and populations.”

LAGOS-ABIDJAN HIGHWAY

In the communique, ECOWAS commended the progress made in completing the technical engineering designs and other preparatory arrangements for the construction of the 1028-kilometre (km) Abidjan-Lagos corridor highway.

“The Authority further commends the progress made in completing the financial and technical studies for the Praia-Dakar Shipping and Maritime Link and the alignment definition of the Dakar-Abidjan Highway,” the communique added.

The authority said it was aware of the consultations initiated with the African Development Bank (AfDB), ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, and other partners to raise the investment finance required to construct the highway and establish the shipping line.

ECOWAS also directed the commission to undertake extensive resource drives with the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and AfDB to raise private and public financing for implementation mobilisation.