The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered Dana Airlines Limited to pay N5.5 million to a passenger, Babajide Idowu, over an 11-hour delay on a 2018 Abuja-Lagos flight, holding that the airline breached its contract of carriage by failing to provide timely information on the cause of the delay.
Justice Yellim Bogoro, in a judgement delivered on May 25, 2026, awarded N5 million as general damages and another N500,000 as solicitor’s fees to Idowu, who had sued the airline over Flight 9J-356 scheduled to convey him from Abuja to Lagos on July 5, 2018. The Judge held that Dana Air failed to communicate the reason for the prolonged delay, despite keeping the passenger waiting for about 11 hours.
Justice Bogoro, however, declined to award the $4,150 compensation sought by Idowu under the Montreal Convention, ruling that the passenger eventually travelled on the delayed flight and was therefore, not entitled to reimbursement or compensation under the applicable Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations. The court held that while the airline breached its obligations, the circumstances did not warrant payment under the specific compensation provision relied upon by the passenger.
During the trial, Idowu told the court that although Dana Air sent several emails informing him about changes to the flight schedule, none explained why the flight had been delayed. He said he eventually arrived in Lagos at about 11:10pm and only learnt months later, after demanding compensation through his Lawyer, that the airline attributed the delay to safety checks allegedly advised by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
