Airlines risk hefty fines for delays in returning lost baggage, withholding refunds

Passengers check in at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi.

A Kenya Airways ground crew checks in passengers at the Jomo Kenyatta international airport in Nairobi on August 1, 2020. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Airlines operating scheduled passenger flights within the East and Central Africa region risk paying up to 10 percent of their turnover generated within the bloc in fines if found culpable for breaching customers' rights.

The competition watchdog of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) said initial investigations have found some airlines in the region are culpable of engaging in anti-competitive practices.