An Arik Air aircraft was delayed in Asaba on Thursday when a row erupted between a passenger and flight personnel over the wearing of face masks, according to the airline.
A video of the incident went viral, showing someone being bundled out of the plane by security personnel while other passengers appeared to be trapped on the tarmac.
In its statement, Arik Air said the passenger who was removed had been “unruly”.
“On Thursday, December 16, 2021, an Arik Air flight from Asaba which was originally scheduled to depart for Lagos at 4:50pm was later rescheduled for 8:30pm. At the commencement of boarding, the first set of passengers to enter the plane was a man and a lady claiming to be the man’s wife. The man was without a face mask and the lead crew asked him to comply with the COVID-19 boarding protocol. The passenger not only refused to use his face mask, he also turned down the use of hand sanitizer and pushed the lead crew out of the way,” the Arik Air statement said.
“The passenger then began to scream at the top of his voice, prompting Arik Air’s Asaba Station Manager to approach him and request that he remain calm. He declined and continued to use his phone to film the scene on camera. Meanwhile, the rest of the passengers were waiting to board the plane on the ground.”
“After several appeals were made to him by the SAHCOL Station Manager, Asaba Airport Company Senior Manager on Quality and Safety and others, the passenger had to be forced out of the plane by a combined team of Airport Security and Police at 9:15pm.
“Arik Air strongly condemns such unruly behaviour by passengers on board any of its flights and advices that such actions could attract flight ban or sanctions prescribed by the regulatory Authority.
“Arik Air will continue to operate at the highest standards obtainable in the industry and advices customers to endeavour to comply with all safety instructions issued by the crew
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