Passengers across Eastern and Southern Africa who were denied ticket refunds for flights cancelled during the Covid-19 lockdowns may finally get justice, following a fresh investigation launched by the region’s consumer protection authority into airline practices during the pandemic.

The Comesa Competition Commission (CCC) has started looking into complaints that some airlines within its 21 member countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Uganda—failed to compensate travellers for unused tickets when international flights were abruptly halted in 2020 and 2021.

In a public notice released yesterday, the commission invited affected passengers to submit formal complaints, saying it had received reports of unfair treatment by carriers operating in the region.

Among the key airlines that serve international routes within the Comesa bloc are Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, EgyptAir, TunisAir, RwandAir, Malawi Airlines, Zambia Airways, and Uganda Airlines.

“The Comesa Competition Commission has become aware that several passengers affected by Covid-19-related flight cancellations were denied refunds or compensation for unused tickets by some airlines operating in the Comesa region,” the statement said.

Although the commission did not list specific airlines under investigation, it noted that all carriers had suspended operations during the global lockdowns, which began in March 2020 and triggered widespread flight disruptions.

Most airlines are expected to honour refund requests in such situations, based on their published refund policies and regional consumer laws.

However, the commission raised concern that some airlines may have hidden behind vague or unfair terms and conditions to deny passengers refunds—potentially breaking Comesa’s competition rules.

“The commission is concerned that the concerned airlines may have engaged in misleading conduct, a possible violation of Article 27 of the Comesa Competition Regulations, especially where the terms were not disclosed to consumers at the time of booking or where those terms had a misleading effect,” it said.

The CCC also pointed to the possibility of “unconscionable conduct,” saying some airlines may have used coercive tactics, misleading language, or unclear terms that gave them an unfair advantage over passengers.

Such actions, it said, would breach regional regulations protecting consumers from exploitative business practices.

The issue of airlines holding on to customers’ money during the pandemic became a global concern, sparking numerous legal and regulatory battles. The CCC’s investigation signals a growing push in the region to hold companies accountable for how they treated consumers during the Covid-19 crisis.