The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) on Friday criticised the behaviour of Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State, during an incident at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed Airport.
AON described it as inappropriate and reflective of a broader pattern of rising passenger misconduct on local flights.
On Wednesday, Air Peace and Oshiomhole engaged in a war of words following an incident at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 1, Zulu Hall.
Air Peace accused Mr Oshiomhole, of instigating violence and causing disruption to one of its flights.
In response, Mr Oshiomhole rejected the allegation, claiming the airline barred him and several other passengers from boarding despite having completed online check-in procedures.
He went further to accuse Air Peace of engaging in extortion and other unethical practices.
The airline, however, dismissed Mr Oshiomhole’s claims, firmly denying any wrongdoing.
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Professor Obiora Okonkwo, who serves as the spokesperson for the group, voiced concern that two days after the event, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had yet to issue a clear account of what transpired.
He made these remarks in Lagos during a press briefing at an event where United Nigeria Airlines announced its inclusion in the SIBAS Global Distribution System (GDS).
According to Mr Okonkwo, while passengers are entitled to certain rights, those rights are governed by standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and other industry guidelines.
He stressed that frustration does not justify taking matters into one’s own hands.
“What happened was a textbook case of disruptive passenger behaviour. It simply cannot be excused,” he said.
“Air Peace is a major player in our domestic aviation space, responsible for transporting between 40 and 50% of Nigeria’s local air travellers. It deserves to be treated with fairness and respect. Criticising the airline in this way goes beyond addressing the real issues.
“We’ve reviewed the senator’s claims and found no merit in them. No airline willingly delays or offloads passengers. Operators work under enormous pressure to meet customer expectations.”
In response to the controversy, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo took to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle to confirm that he had instructed aviation authorities to conduct a full investigation into the matter.
Keyamo disclosed that he had spoken with both parties involved shortly after the incident occurred.
He cautioned aviation officials against making hasty judgments and emphasised the importance of hearing all perspectives before drawing conclusions.
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Keyamo wrote: “In the wake of the incident at the Lagos Airport last Wednesday involving Air Peace Airline and Senator Adams Oshiomhole. I have been in direct contact with both parties since that morning. I also directed the aviation agencies to exercise restraint in jumping to conclusions in line with the time-honoured legal principle of ‘hear all sides’ before reaching judgment.
“Whilst appealing to both sides to halt the public accusations and counter-accusations, I am further directing the relevant aviation agencies to thoroughly look into the issue, collect all available evidence and revert to my office so we can deal with the issue in such a way as to guide future conducts in similar situations.”
