Okon Bassey in Uyo
An Ibom Air passenger from Uyo to Abuja is to face prosecution for holding an Uyo-Abuja flight hostage until the flight was cancelled, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumers’ Protection of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, has said.
It was gathered that the female passenger would have been lynched if not for the intervention of the Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel and those of Ibom Air.
The incident happened on an Ibom Air flight scheduled to depart Uyo for Abuja at 1730hrs on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
Prior to the flight, passengers were said to have been informed that due to weight restrictions, some or all of their luggage may not arrive on the same flight.
Report from the consumer protection department of the NCAA confirmed that passengers with luggage above 20kg signed indemnity forms in this regard, while those whose bags were in the region of 20kg were informed verbally that their bags would arrive on the next scheduled flight, which they all agreed, including the passenger.
But after boarding, the passenger in question noticed that her bag was not among the luggage loaded into the bowels of the aircraft.
She therefore left the aircraft in anger and insisted that her bags must be loaded, otherwise the aircraft would not leave.
Despite the intervention of AVSEC and the pilot who even offered to carry her checked-in baggage in the cabin if not for the size, the passenger reportedly refused all entreaties and appeals.
However, the flight couldn’t depart again as Uyo is a sunset airport and it was almost time for the airspace to be shut.
Due to the unruly behaviour of the passenger, other passengers, including those who had international flights in Abuja and those with important appointments, could not leave Uyo that night as the flight was cancelled.
In a video of the incident shared on X by the NCAA, other passengers were seen charging at the passenger, attempting to assault her as she was being whisked away by airport security personnel.
Another passenger was overheard saying she missed her British Airways flight because of the action of the lady.
It was learnt that the passenger’s reason for her action was because in December, her luggage was delayed as well and she didn’t want a repeat of that situation.
Confirming the incident, Director of Public Affairs and Consumers’ Protection of NCAA, Michael Achimugu said, “Despite all pleas, she held the plane hostage until the airspace was closed.
Consequently, the pilot had to announce a cancellation of the flight.
“It was at that moment that other passengers became irate. Had AVSEC and Ibom Air personnel not been on top of their game, the unruly passenger would have been lynched. I salute the timely intervention that saved her life.
“The airline had to provide immediate refreshment, transportation for passengers who were resident in Uyo, and hotel accommodation for those who came from out of town at great and avoidable cost.
“This means that the airline would have catered twice for the same flight. Added to this was the fact that a scheduling challenge has now been created automatically, one that will take days to normalise. For an industry where profit margins are extremely thin, this was very avoidable.”
Achimugu confirmed that in line with regulations, flight operations have weight restrictions and considering that in festive seasons, people travel with more luggage than they normally would, airlines are allowed to short-land baggage.
In line with the regulations, the director confirmed that the passenger would be prosecuted, adding, “the NCAA continues to educate stakeholders about unruly behaviour and the penalties it attracts.”
“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),” he added.
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