PASSENGER WHO HALTED ABUJA-BOUND FLIGHT FACES COURT CHARGES – NCAA
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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that legal action will be taken against a female passenger who disrupted an Abuja-bound Ibom Air flight, stating that she will face the full consequences of the law.
Michael Achimugu, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, informed our correspondent on Monday that the angry passenger has been handed over to the police and charged in court.
In line with the regulations, Achimugu confirmed that the passenger would be prosecuted, adding, “The NCAA continues to educate stakeholders about unruly behaviour and the penalties it attracts.”
He said, “The regulations state firmly that no provocation justifies violence at the airport. Certain acts, especially holding up the movement of an aircraft through means of violence, could be interpreted as terrorism depending on the severity (to be determined by the police).
“She was taken to the police and was in detention for two nights. She has been charged to court but granted bail. That was the last information I got from the airline and later today (Monday), I will get further information.”
Asked why she wasn’t deboarded to avoid holding other passengers to ransom, Achimugu said, “I intend to hold a meeting with Avsec and FAAN because there seems to be room for improvement in the protocols for handling unruly passengers.
“ It is when things like this happen that we see the lapses and areas where we need to improve. Because the response should have been quicker and the action should have also been faster. This that happened is preventable, very preventable. But no point at the moment excuses the woman for what she did and that is why she will face the full wrath of the law.”
The “unruly passenger” halted the flight after airline officials refused to allow her to carry her overweight luggage on board.
Our correspondent learned that Ibom Air had previously informed passengers that luggage weighing over 20kg would be sent on the next available flight, not on the same one.
While passengers initially accepted this arrangement, the woman became enraged when she realized her bag had not been loaded onto the aircraft.
The furious passenger left the plane and demanded her bag be loaded immediately, threatening to stop the flight from departing if her demand was not met.
Despite numerous attempts to calm her down, the agitated passenger held up the flight until the airport closed, and the airline eventually announced the cancellation of the flight.
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