By Olasunkanmi Akinlotan
Passengers affected by the closure of parts of the Middle East airspace following the ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran have intensified calls for refunds from international airlines, particularly Emirates Airlines and Qatar Airways.
The development has left many travellers stranded and uncertain about their travel plans, with some of them saying their requests for refunds have yet to be processed weeks after the disruption.
Findings by The PUNCH revealed that many of the affected passengers had secured tickets with Emirates Airlines and Qatar Airways before the airlines temporarily suspended some operations due to the regional airspace restrictions triggered by the conflict.
Travel agents who spoke with The PUNCH on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation said they had submitted several refund applications on behalf of their clients, but resolutions had yet to materialise.
Emirates Airlines recently announced the resumption of limited Dubai-Lagos-Dubai flights. Despite this development, refund requests from passengers have continued to mount, with many claiming their pleas have not been attended to.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that passengers had been struggling to obtain refunds, particularly from Emirates Airlines and Qatar Airways, since hostilities between Israel and Iran resurfaced, forcing airlines to adjust flight schedules across the Middle East corridor.
Several travellers were reportedly en route to Saudi Arabia for the lesser Hajj when the conflict escalated, while others were travelling out of Nigeria for various engagements, including business and medical appointments.
Some of the passengers said they had visited the airlines’ offices repeatedly in search of refunds but had yet to receive their money. A source close to Emirates Airlines told The PUNCH that the airline had assured stakeholders that the refund process would be expedited.
In a memo recently issued to its trade partners, the airline urged passengers to take advantage of available travel options. “Emirates continues to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly. The latest flight updates will be published on our website,” the memo read.
One of the affected passengers, identified simply as Muhammed, told our correspondent in a telephone interview that he had instructed his travel agent to request a refund from the first day the airline halted operations, but the effort had not yielded results.
“I know it will be difficult to get that refund, and that was why I requested my refund through my agent from the first day, but up until now, as I speak, our efforts have not paid off. They are supposed to refund early so as to know what to do going forward,” he said.
Another passenger, Foluke Adedayo, warned that she might be forced to seek legal action if the airline fails to process her refund.
“I have requested a refund, and that should be immediate because we weren’t responsible for the aborted trip. Yes, we understand that the fault wasn’t with the airline, but this is their business. Things like this happen occasionally in business. We also do business. Should they continue to hold back my money even after submitting a refund request, I may be left with no other option than to head to court,” she said.
The President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies, Yinka Folami, confirmed that requests for refunds had increased significantly among passengers travelling through Middle Eastern routes. He, however, urged travellers to exercise patience, noting that many refund cases had been processed without major complications.
“Yes, there has been a call for refunds and from my experience the airlines have been quite cooperative and fair. Except maybe they are unable to process it, or they don’t know how to process it or maybe they are dealing with an agent that knows how to process it. I have processed a number of refunds, and there has not been any significant issue,” he said.
Folami added that passengers still had several options aside from refunds.
“The refund is up to the clients. For instance, some clients can say they can’t fly on some airline again out of fear, and they are the deciders here. You should know that it is not a good thing for the airline to refund. Nobody likes to refund. The airline doesn’t like to refund, even though I don’t like refunds, but it is the job.”
