For disrupting an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Abuja on 8 January 2025, and causing its cancellation, a female passenger has been charged to court and granted bail.
According to the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, who disclosed this on Monday, the incident, described as “unruly behaviour,” affected 89 other passengers and caused significant disruptions to the airline’s operations.
Reports have it that an unruly passenger last Wednesday disrupted Ibom Air flight operations scheduled to depart Uyo for Abuja International Airport at 1730hrs and prevented its takeoff.
It was reported that passengers had been informed during check-in that, due to weight restrictions, some or all of their luggage may not arrive on the same flight.
The airline said passengers with luggage above 20kg signed indemnity forms while those whose bags were in the region of 20kg were informed that their bags would arrive on the next scheduled flight.
The aggrieved passenger noticed that her bag was not among the luggage loaded into the bowels of the aircraft and then angrily stepped down from the aircraft.
She asked to be allowed to pick her handbag from the cabin, only to get in there and block the aisle, insisting that the flight would not depart without her bags, according to the NCAA.
Attempts by the Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel and the pilot to de-escalate the situation were unsuccessful.
As a result, the flight was cancelled when Uyo’s airspace closed for the day.
“The airline had to provide immediate refreshment, transportation, and accommodation for passengers at great and avoidable cost,” Achimugu added.
He revealed that the airline suffered financial losses and operational disruptions.
“This means that the airline would have catered twice for the same flight,” he said.
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“Added to this was a scheduling challenge that will take days to normalize.”
In a fresh update, Achimugu disclosed that the passenger would face prosecution and be penalised.
Achimugu disclosed, “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.
“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.”
