Legal action to be taken against unruly Ibom Air passenger to prevent recurrence ? NCAA

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced its commitment to curbing ‘’unruly passenger behaviour” following an incident involving an Ibom Air passenger. The incident, which has gained traction online, has prompted the NCAA to take legal action as a deterrent for future occurrences.

Last Wednesday, an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Abuja, scheduled to depart at 17:30 hrs, was disrupted by an unruly female passenger, impacting 89 other passengers.

Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr Micheal Achimugu, disclosed through his X (formerly Twitter) handle that the passenger is currently facing prosecution in court. This comes after an X user, Zibah_Obi, identified the passenger as her friend’s sister who had previously experienced luggage mishandling by the airline.

Zibah_Obi explained “This is my friend’s sister. They had misplaced her luggage twice before, so this time she wasn’t having it. She was onboard the flight and saw that they had removed her box from the plane. She went to confront the flight attendants as to why that happened. She told them to put back her luggage or they should assure her that her luggage would be sent to Abuja the same day. Next thing, the pilot said he won’t fly the plane. They arrested her and detained her for two days. They sued her. She is also counter-suing.”

In response, Achimugu stated “She has a right to her side of the story. What she will explain as a lawyer is if anything gives her the right to be unruly, or if Ibom Air did not deliver her bag to her the last time she was short-landed. A lawyer spoke to me on her behalf yesterday and the day before. She admitted that the airline delivered her previous bag to her, but that it was delivered in an unsafe place and manner.”

Achimugu emphasized that the passenger would need to substantiate claims regarding previous luggage mishandlings by the airline, whether she reported any such issues to the NCAA, and whether these incidents justified her behavior. He added “She will have to prove if: This particular airline has misplaced her luggage before. If she reported any such case to the NCAA and it was not handled. If it justifies her behaviour on the day. I have been here long enough. I will ensure that there is an example set for this kind of behaviour. Let the grandstanding go on.”

The NCAA’s firm stance aims to establish a precedent to deter similar behavior and ensure smooth operations in the aviation sector.