Evans Chigbundu, the agency manager of Cacelyn Travels and Tours Ltd, has accused Max Air of refusing to refund N1,045,000 owed his agency, despite several formal requests for a refund.

Chigbundu told EQ that the N1,045,000 represents funds for eight of his clients who booked flights with Max Air between May 2023 and January 2024. These clients, he said, never flew with the airline as their flights were cancelled, but they have not yet received their refunds.

“My clients are pressuring me to return their money, but Max Air has not refunded it. Instead, they have shifted the blame to Interswitch, a financial service provider,” Chigbundu told EQ.

According to Chigbundu, the earliest of the refund requests dates back to May 15, 2023, when a payment was made at Max Air’s Murjanatu Office in Maitama, Abuja, using a point-of-sale machine.

He said although he provided all the necessary documents for the refund process, Max Air has failed to return the funds.

One of the clients’ receipts

“Their refusal to process these refunds is causing serious concern. Customers are constantly asking for updates, and this has put my agency in a difficult position,” he added.

Chigbundu highlighted that Max Air’s refund policy promises to process refunds between five to 14 working days after a flight is cancelled. He said that he submitted refund applications both in soft and hard copy, but the airline has not taken any meaningful action.

In one response to him, Max Air blamed Interswitch, the payment platform used for the ticket purchases, claiming they were responsible for the delayed refunds. However, Chigbundu said that Interswitch told him to contact Max Air directly.

EQ sent an email to Max Air on Saturday for comments on the issue, but the airline had not responded at the time of publication.
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