The recent actions of Senator Adams Oshiomhole, the former governor of Edo State, at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos have angered the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), which said Friday that the behaviour is unacceptable and part of a growing trend of unruly passenger behaviour that domestic carriers are dealing with.
Speaking in Lagos during an event where United Nigeria Airlines announced its integration into the SIBAS Global Distribution System (GDS), AON spokesperson Professor Obiora Okonkwo criticized the incident and the delayed response from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
“It’s been two days since the incident, and FAAN has yet to clarify what truly happened,” Okonkwo noted. He emphasized that while passengers are entitled to their rights, those rights must remain within the bounds of international aviation regulations.
“As much as we appreciate and understand that every passenger has a right, your right is only limited to what is allowed within the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the aviation industry,” he said.
“There is no amount of disappointment that gives the right to self-help. What you saw was a typical case of unruly behaviour. It is not acceptable. Air Peace is a respected airline. No matter what you say about it, they carry 40 to 50 per cent of domestic passengers. As such, they deserve respect. It is somebody’s investment,” Okonkwo added.
He further stated, “It is not right to demonise the airline. That goes too far beyond discussing the issues. We looked at the things he [Oshiomhole] said, and we do not see any logic. No airline wants to inconvenience its passengers. We bend over backwards daily to meet their needs.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said he had contacted both parties involved in the dispute and instructed aviation agencies to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Posting on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Keyamo stated: “In the wake of the incident at the Lagos Airport last Wednesday involving Air Peace airline and Senator Adams Oshiomhole, I have been in direct contact with both parties since that morning. I also directed the aviation agencies to exercise restraint in jumping to conclusions in line with the time-honoured legal principle of ‘hear all sides’ before reaching judgement.”
He appealed for calm and urged both parties to stop the exchange of public accusations, adding, “I am further directing the relevant aviation agencies to thoroughly look into the issue, collect all available evidence and revert to my office so we can deal with the issue in such a way as to guide future conduct in similar situations.”
