The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), have taken stringent measures that will help put an end to the menace of unruly passengers’ behaviour in airline operations in Nigeria.

NCAA and the airlines agreed to battle the menace after a meeting in Lagos, where the airline gave details of how unruly passengers disrupt flight operations, exacerbate flight delays and cancellations.

Passengers, it was learnt, have allegedly beaten up airline staff, including female staff who were married and some of them expectant and some older men who happened to be at the departures when they revolted in protest against either flight delays or cancellation.

AON alleged that passengers had at different times beaten airline staff to coma, severely injured others and noted that they do these only on domestic flights.

The airlines said that the passengers do this because no one has held them to account and most often the staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) watch them without intervening, when they manhandle airline staff.

AON said what incite the passengers were flight delays and flight cancellation, which prompted some of them to become violent adding that these disruptions can be caused by weather, which is beyond the control of airlines.

During the meeting, the Director General of NCAA, Captain Najomo, said: “Passengers will be educated on their responsibilities as the NCAA will also be joining airlines to enforce whatever penalties will be applicable for unruly behavior because with rights comes responsibilities.”

On December 19, 2024, United Nigeria Airlines aborted Lagos-Asaba 6:30 am flight when an unruly passenger allegedly assaulted a member of the crew, forcing the airline to ground the flight.

A statement from the airline said it decided to ground the flight after the passenger physically assaulted a crew member at the point of take off when every passenger had boarded the flight and the aircraft door was shut.

“The commotion caused by this passenger lasted a long time and for safety reasons and in accordance with international aviation protocols, the aircraft was grounded, resulting in hours-long delay. Unfortunately, this disruption may have a reverberating effect on other flights across our network and may cause more delay and cancellations. We are deeply sorry about this,” the airline said.

The Vice President of AON and the Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Dr. Allen Onyema, narrated how unruly passengers disrupt flights and beat up airlines’ staff.

He recounted how Air Peace Lagos to Kaduna flight was cancelled due to the harmattan haze, “and this was explained to the passengers by the airline. The passengers seem to have understood the situation, but 25 minutes later, some of the passengers came back to the desk of the airline and insisted that they must be airlifted despite the unfavourable weather report.”

“We don’t agree. You must take us to Kaduna, they shouted. They started protesting and the protest is not just sitting down and saying, no, you must take us to our destination. The target is to disrupt other flights of Air Peace. They will go and target other flights and disrupt them so that those other flights that did not have weather issues in their places will not take off. They did not have anything you can give as an excuse for them. Those people over there will be saying, Air Peace delayed their flight. They will not know that some mischievous people had disrupted the aircraft that will be coming to their stations. We don’t hold it against Kaduna passengers. They have been one of our best. This is orchestrated,” Onyema recalled.

He said that similar incident happened when the airline’s flight operated Lagos-Calabar and Calabar-Abuja service, but in Abuja, it boarded passengers back to Calabar and report from the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) indicated that the weather was zero, under which no aircraft could fly safely.

“We informed the passengers about the weather report and they showed understanding. When it indicated that there was no hope that the weather (harmattan haze) would improve, we cancelled the flight. The passengers said that it was better than risking their lives. They got out of the aircraft, went to the building, because we told them to reschedule to the next available date. Less than 30 minutes later, a different thing started happening at the airport. The same Calabar passengers started revolting. So who were those who were instigating all these issues at every given opportunity for them to act? They intimidated staff, manhandling people, to the extent that we said, give them hotel, even though was not the duty of the airline to do that. If weather caused your disruption, we don’t have the obligation to give you accommodation but we have to do that. We also asked them to reschedule to the next available date.

“In order to help our fellow citizens at this point in time, Air Peace provided hotel, provided transport, bus to take them to the hotel, sent to their phones the time of their flight for the next morning for something we did not cause. These same people did not want to hear. They went and disrupted four other flights. It was deliberately done. These things are orchestrated and except the government goes into it to stop this now, their actions may lead to disastrous outcomes in this country,” he further said.

On flight rescheduling, the AON Vice President is of the view that it is not the obligation of the airline to fly passengers the next morning whose flight was disrupted the previous day; “rather, the passengers ought to rebook their flight at the day that would be convenient for them. So, it is an aberration to insist that because the flight was cancelled yesterday, the passengers must be airlifted in the morning. This is because the new day already has its own schedule and what the passengers ought to do is to reschedule their flights and dovetail with the airline’s operational schedule.”

However, Onyema apologised to the passengers for whatever Air Peace and other airlines did not do right but insisted it would be dangerous for the airline industry if passengers were allowed to run amok in protest whenever flight is delayed or cancelled due to circumstances beyond the management of the airline.

He also canvassed that in collaboration with NCAA, the airlines should conduct enlightenment programme to let the passengers know the rules that guide flight operations, the passengers’ rights, limitation and what the passengers must do to have seamless flight service in Nigeria.

Najomo promised that he would work with his staff to device means to end the phenomenon of unruly passengers at the airports, noting that they have caused harm to flight operations and it is dangerous to continue to allow them do so, observing that such incidents happen majorly with domestic flight service.

“We will find a solution to the issue of unruly passengers. That matter will be tackled soon because it is getting out of hand, but airlines should also know their obligations to the passengers,” Najomo said. (THISDAY)