More than 3,000 passengers who travelled to Kano on Saudi Arabian Airlines flights have been left without their luggage, which has remained stranded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, weeks after their arrival.
The affected passengers said they arrived in Nigeria without clothes, medication, documents, house and car keys, ATM cards, identity cards and other essential belongings.
Some passengers who returned to Nigeria nearly two weeks ago said they were surprised to discover that their checked-in luggage had not arrived at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport.
In some cases, passengers said even their hand luggage was not delivered.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) confirmed that more than 3,000 passengers were affected by the baggage backlog.
According to the NCAA, about eight tonnes of luggage have so far been transported to Nigeria following its intervention, while an estimated 180 tonnes remain stranded in Jeddah.
Passengers Arrive With Only Their Phones
One of the affected passengers, Engineer Usman Ahmed Zun-Noorayne, said he travelled to Saudi Arabia for Umrah on September 1 and returned to Nigeria on September 15.
He said passengers were not properly informed before boarding that their luggage would not arrive with them.
According to him, passengers were told shortly before boarding that their hand luggage would be collected, giving them the impression that it would be available when they landed.
However, after arriving in Kano and completing immigration procedures, he said they found the baggage collection area empty.
He added that some passengers had left important items, including phones, house and car keys, ATM cards and identity documents, in their hand luggage.
Passenger Says Problem Has Continued for Weeks
Another passenger, Babagana Muhammad, who travelled with his wife from Heathrow Airport in London, said they checked in two 23kg bags each before travelling to Kano.
He said that when they arrived in Kano on September 17, they waited at the baggage carousel but were later informed by airport porters that the aircraft had arrived without the passengers' luggage.
Muhammad said there was no official from the NCAA, cargo handling company or Saudi Arabian Airlines available to explain the situation or provide a timeline for the arrival of the luggage.
He said the lack of information had increased passengers' frustration.
Passengers Demand Explanation and Compensation
Following the disruption, affected passengers have begun organising themselves to demand explanations and compensation from Saudi Arabian Airlines.
Zun-Noorayne said passengers visited the airline's office in Kano on Monday, where they were told that a fuel supplier to flights operating from Kano had defaulted, resulting in a shortage of jet fuel.
He said, however, that passengers were not given a definite date for the delivery of their belongings.
Airline Blames Jet Fuel Shortage
A senior staff member of Saudi Arabian Airlines' Kano office, who spoke anonymously, confirmed that the baggage disruption was linked to a shortage of jet fuel at the airport.
The official said the airline was making arrangements to transport the stranded luggage separately.
He explained that aircraft have weight limits and that the airline had prioritised carrying passengers while making arrangements to transport their luggage later.
He assured the affected passengers that their belongings were safe and would eventually be delivered.
Airport Authorities Dispute Fuel Shortage Claim
However, the management of Malam Aminu Kano International Airport disputed the claim that there was a general shortage of aviation fuel at the airport.
The airport's Head of Operations, Faruk Isa Fagge, said there are six jet-fuel filling stations at the airport, but only one was without fuel.
According to him, the affected station happened to be the supplier used by Saudi Arabian Airlines.
Fagge explained that because the airline could not obtain fuel from its usual supplier in Kano, it carried additional fuel from Jeddah, which reduced the amount of weight available for passengers' luggage.
He described the decision to leave passengers' luggage behind as an aviation violation and said the relevant regulatory agency was addressing the matter.
He added that the airline had agreed to dedicate an entire flight to transport the stranded luggage to Nigeria.
NCAA Intervenes
The NCAA said it had engaged Saudi Arabian Airlines over the baggage backlog.
The authority said about eight tonnes of luggage had already been brought into Nigeria, while approximately 180 tonnes remained stranded in Jeddah.
The NCAA also disclosed that the airline had agreed to compensate affected passengers who submit complaints through its official complaint portal.
The authority said Saudi Arabian Airlines had cited operational challenges arising from Kano as one of the factors contributing to the disruption.
The NCAA assured affected passengers that it would continue monitoring the situation until their luggage was delivered.
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