- Air Peace Blacklists Passenger for Unruly Behaviour
Air Peace has blacklisted a passenger for unruly behaviour while boarding one of its flights at the General Aviation Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
The Corporate Communications Manager of the airline, Mr. Chris Iwarah, said the development was to check the growing trend of attacks and violence on the carrier’s personnel by air travellers in the country.
According to him, the passenger, whose name was not given, flew into a rage and destroyed the airline’s computer on Tuesday during check-in formalities of a Lagos-Abuja flight over claims that the process was too slow.
Iwarah stated that in a letter dated May 16 and addressed to the passenger, the airline described his conduct as “unacceptable” and insisted that his violent conduct constituted a safety risk to other members of the flying public and staff of the airline.
He said the airline took the decision to blacklist the unruly passenger in discharge of its obligation to protect members of the flying public and staff from harm.
He said, “During the check-in formalities of our Lagos-Abuja Flight P47128 at the General Aviation Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos on Tuesday, May 15, an impatient passenger standing in the queue suddenly flew into a rage and destroyed one of our computers. The unruly passenger claimed he destroyed the check-in system because the process was too slow.
“We were, therefore, compelled by the need to guarantee the safety of members of the flying public and our staff to blacklist the passenger and to signal our resolve to henceforth penalise violent conduct towards our valued guests and staff as well as view unwarranted destruction of our facilities very seriously.
“We are currently reviewing about 14 similar cases to determine the appropriate action to take. In the last few months alone, our staff members have frequently been attacked by aggrieved passengers at the slightest excuse. Facilities costing huge sums have also been destroyed in the process. This easy resort to violence by unruly passengers often results in flight disruptions, delays and frustrates our resolve to deliver the best flight experience to the flying public.”
He added that the trend of violence posed a grave danger to the lives of law-abiding passengers, noting that such unruly passengers were no longer welcomed on any of the airline’s flights.
