Ibom Airlines Limited has banned a passenger identified as Comfort Emmanson, from flying with its airline after she was found assaulting one of the crew members of their aircraft.
Emmanson had in a viral video repeatedly slapped a Purser with Ibom Aircraft after she was allegedly told to switch off her phone before take-off.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Monday, Ibom Air said the incident happened on Sunday while Emmanson was on board their Uyo to Lagos flight.
The statement read, “Shortly before take-off from Uyo, Ms. Emmanson was instructed in line with standard aviation safety procedures to switch off her mobile phone. She bluntly refused to comply until the Pilot-in-Command made an announcement, after which a fellow passenger seated beside her took the phone and switched it off.
“This action prompted a verbal tirade from Ms. Emmanson. The situation was eventually calmed, and the flight departed as scheduled.
“Upon arrival in Lagos, Ms. Emmanson waited for all other passengers to disembark and then proceeded to confront the Purser, who had earlier instructed her. She walked up to the unsuspecting Purser, stepped on her, forcibly tore off her wig, removed her glasses and threw it to the floor, and used her footwear to assault her. She slapped her several times, and when the other cabin crew member tried to intervene, she slapped her too.”
The airline also maintained that the passenger attempted to forcibly remove a fire extinguisher to use as a weapon, an act they described as “an intention to damage and ground the aircraft”.
“By this time, the Pilot-in-Command had alerted airport security. Before security could arrive, the Purser, as seen on the viral video on the internet, prevented the passenger from leaving the aircraft until security arrived.
“The arrival of Ibom Air Security personnel did not deter the passenger, as she attacked them as well, lashing out violently at the security personnel. She was then restrained and removed from the aircraft by force. Even after disembarking, she continued to assault Ibom Air security personnel and even slapped the ground supervisor.
“The passenger was removed from the ramp and taken into custody by FAAN security and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation,” Ibom Air stressed.
The airline stated that it had submitted a report on the incident to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and placed a travel restriction on Ms. Emmanson, who will no longer be permitted to fly on any of their aircraft, while commending the crew members and the security personnel for handling the situation with decorum.
“Ibom Air has since submitted a report on the incident to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and placed a travel restriction on Ms. Emmanson, who will no longer be permitted to fly on any of our aircraft.
“Ibom Air reiterates its zero-tolerance policy towards any form of unruly or violent conduct that threatens the safety of passengers, crew, or equipment. Such behavior will be met with the strongest possible response, including legal action and permanent restriction from our services.
“We commend the bravery and professionalism of our crew in handling this situation under extremely challenging circumstances, as well as the swift support from airport security and the Nigerian Police.”
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