Nigerian Doctor Calls Out Air France for Discrimination During Flight Delay in Paris

Fathia Omoologo (real name withheld), a Nigerian doctor with Canadian residency, has called out Air France for discrimination during a flight delay. She alleged that the airline denied her accommodation because of her Nigerian passport.

Omoologo was travelling on flight AF 1558 from Winnipeg, Canada, to Newcastle, UK, on November 21, 2024. The flight was diverted to Paris due to weather conditions and curfew restrictions at Newcastle Airport. She said all other passengers, including those without Schengen visas, were offered accommodation. However, she was left without assistance.

“We were promised a hotel upon arrival in Paris. Everyone else, including passengers without visas, was provided accommodation except me because I carry a Nigerian passport.

“I caught the customer service agent whispering to some passengers that were without visa whom she was escorting to their hotel to lower their voices when they were asking questions about going to their hotel so I wouldn’t hear the conversation. On [the] whole flight, I was singled out because of my green passport,” she explained.

The doctor added that her hand luggage had been checked in, leaving her without supplies for two days as the flight was rescheduled from Thursday to Saturday. Using Cirium’s FlightStats, a UK-based provider of aviation analytics, West Africa Weekly confirmed the flight delay and diversion.

Omoologo said Air France, through Customer Care Assistant Ritik Dhingra, admitted the flight was cancelled due to weather (de-icing), as she had narrated. However, the airline claimed weather issues exempted them from providing extra compensation. Speaking to West Africa Weekly, Omoologo said the airline asked her to submit original receipts for reimbursement of expenses incurred while waiting for her rescheduled flight to Newcastle. However, they excluded her Paris hotel costs and failed to address her claims of discriminatory treatment by their staff.

The refusal to provide proper assistance and the failure to fully compensate the stranded passenger violates EU Regulation EC 261/2004. This regulation mandates that airlines offer necessary support, including accommodation, food, and communication, regardless of the cause of the delay.

“I [had to] pay for the airport hotel myself when it was clear they had no intention of giving me, despite being clear that I was entitled to one. It was never about visa,” Omoologo stated.

Her experience is similar to ongoing complaints from Nigerian travellers about poor treatment by airlines. Discriminatory practices such as these violate multiple anti-discrimination regulations, including those in France and Canada, where her journey began. In Omoologo’s case,  it can be noted that non-EU nationals require a Schengen visa to enter France or leave the airport during a layover. Omoologo did not have one and Air France failed to provide her with the legally required accommodation within the airport.

Given that the flight rerouting was not the passengers’ fault, Air France could have handled the situation more appropriately. Providing Omoologo with a room within the airport, as was done for other passengers, and offering a clear explanation of the circumstances would have significantly eased her ordeal. Reacting to her experience, many social media users alleged that Air France is notorious for discriminatory practices.

In her most recent statement, the doctor wrote:

“Update: Air France acknowledged the discriminatory treatment I suffered and has reimbursed my expenses. But they haven’t addressed the discriminatory treatment experienced. They could have processed a visa at the airport or put me in hotel in non schengen zones. These are EU terms.”

It is important for Air France and other airlines to reevaluate their operations in this regard or be made to face legal consequences of discrimination.

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Confidence Ubani

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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