The Federal Government is considering seizing assets belonging to Dana Air to recover and refund money owed to passengers and travel agents after the carrier’s suspension, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has announced.
Keyamo made the disclosure on Tuesday during the Ministry’s fourth-quarter stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja, an event themed “Leveraging public feedback to drive excellence in aviation services.”
As part of immediate follow-up actions, the minister said he will instruct the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to probe why refunds tied up with the airline have not been processed and to recover all outstanding passenger and agent funds where possible.
Explaining the rationale for the carrier’s suspension, Keyamo said safety concerns — not commercial pressures — informed the decision, stressing that authorities chose “safety over disaster” to protect travellers.
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The minister also warned that any individual or business linked to Dana Air that seeks to re-enter the aviation sector without first settling outstanding liabilities will be blocked from operating under any new guise.
NCAA spokespeople say the authority has been working on refund mechanisms and consumer protection responses, with earlier statements noting efforts to resolve backlog claims and offer alternative travel options where feasible.
Industry stakeholders and consumer-rights groups will be watching closely: seizure of airline assets is an uncommon but legally available tool to satisfy creditor and consumer claims when voluntary settlement fails.
Keyamo’s announcement underscores growing pressure on regulators to enforce consumer protections in Nigeria’s aviation sector while balancing safety oversight and market stability. Aviation consumers affected by the Dana Air suspension are being urged to contact the NCAA consumer-protection desk for updates and to document refund claims.
The Ministry said it will publish further instructions after the NCAA completes its probe into the outstanding refunds and submits a recovery plan. In the meantime, passengers and travel agents awaiting repayment should keep receipts and ticket records to support their claims.
