Writer gives more insight into the unruly behaviour of passengers in the air transport sector, where travellers vent their anger on airlines when things don’t go their way
There is something peculiar about unruly passenger phenomenon in Nigeria. Most of the travellers who fight at the airports and with airlines in Nigeria do not do so outside Nigeria, given the same level of possible provocation.
The studies carried out by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has confirmed this and the question is why the penchant to fight at the airport when flights are rescheduled or cancelled and why fight in the aircraft during interface with cabin crew? But the same persons will abide by the directives while overseas.
Some industry stakeholders who spoke to THISDAY said at the Kotoka International Airport, Ghana Aviation Security officials are very strict with passengers; that any loud noise from passengers brings out AVSEC officials who monitorevents and rein anyone that tries to foment trouble.
“When flight operations resumed after the COVID-19 interlude, we were at Accra airport and they just announced that our flight to Banjul, The Gambia, had been rescheduled. Many of us were from Nigeria. Immediately the rescheduling was announced, some of us grumbled loudly. A lady, wearing AVSEC uniform walked to us and said that we should not ‘make that our usual noise in their airport. This is not Nigeria.”
“She spoke so disdainfully and contemptuously to us, indicating a haboured prejudice and latent anger against us. I was very angry, but I told myself that we created this kind of opportunity for people who are not our match to be insulting us. But this brings home the fact that we complain at any little thing that happens at our airport,” one of the stakeholders recalled.
Industry insiders have also observed that Nigerians travelling overseas are not fastidious about the conduct of foreign airlines, noting that some international carriers can cancel flights and delay Nigerian passengers for three days and they would just brook it, but it is not the same if a Nigerian carrier is involved.
“I recall in late last year when a well-known European carrier delayed flight for four days because the aircraft operating that flight broke down and they wanted to repair it and use it to airlift passengers, instead of deploying another aircraft from its operational hub in Europe. It is good to know that why that particular flight was delayed for that number of days, the airline was still operating its subsequent flights without let or hindrance. The Nigerian passengers waited but when it couldn’t repair the aircraft, the airline used other airlines to move the passengers to Europe.
“But in Nigeria if a Nigerian airline does that the passengers will obstruct its subsequent flights and will continue to shout and destroy airline equipment at the airport until you are forced to carry them, disrupting your schedule. And the reason why they do not make trouble with foreign airlines is because they know that if they fight with the airline, immediately they arrive at their destination they could be picked up and their visa could be cancelled. So, they know what they are doing,” the insider said.
Complaints at Nigerian Airports
Former General Manager, Business Development, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and ex Head of Government Relations of the then Virgin Nigeria Airways, Nuhu Adams, told THISDAY that the psychology of “I am in my country” and the environment are some of the factors responsible for the unruly behavior of Nigerians air travelers,coupled with the fact that in Nigeria many people commit crime and get away with it, from who you know to browbeating oneself out of a scuffle.
“The major reason is that our environment breeds indiscipline. When Nigerians go to apply for visa, they conduct themselves well, but they act differently at Nigerian airports. When they go to Balogun market in Lagos they can fight but the same people will behave differently at Shoprite. So, it is lack of discipline and our environment promotes that behavior,” Adam said.
Unruly Behaviour
Adams said both airlines and passengers could be held responsible for some of the failures that gave rise to the unruly behaviour of air travellers. He said airlines should be steadfast with passengers in the sense that if they wish to reschedule or cancel flights they should make sure that the passengers are adequately informed and if they wish to cancel flights they should do it in time than to wait and be dribbling passengers until when they cannot secure alternative means to travel.
Recalling the Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, known as Kwam 1 incident involving ValueJet flight and that of Ms. Comfort Emmanson, involving Ibom Air, Adams observed that airlines should abide by their Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), noting that it is anticipated that incidents could happen but it is the way such incidents are handled that matter.
“I am not particular about the passengers. I am talking about the process. The flask held by Kwam 1 shouldn’t have followed him to the foot of the aircraft; except he was made to tell what was in the flask. So, it is a failure of the ground staff that made Kwam 1 to have access to the door of the aircraft with the flask. And my advice is, from my experience of customer service, training is very key in this process. At the defunct Virgin Nigeria Airways, these kinds of incidents would not happen. So, on the Kwam 1 incident, I blame the ground staff of the airline, the ground handler, the airport security which ought to have been alerted by the scuffle. Training enables airport officials to know how to handle issues during crisis. Crisis management is very important and in these two cases the crisis management was poorly executed. The terminal owners should also have standard operating procedures. So, it is simply systemic failure of a process,” he said.
Aviation Security
On the incident involving Ibom Air flight, reports indicate that Ibom Air crew, ground staff, security of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operators of MMA2 and FAAN Aviation Security were involved. THISDAY learnt that the incident had escalated before FAAN AVSEC was called to the scene and that it was AVSEC that took Emmanson to the police. With hindsight, most of the videos that went viral on social media had been taken.
FAAN, which released statement shortly after the incident, condemned the unruly behaviour of passengers and announced that the agency would henceforth strictly follow security protocols in dealing with unruly passenger incidents.
“The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has noted with concern the increasing frequency of unruly behaviour by some passengers at our airports. We wish to categorically state that such conduct is entirely unacceptable within the framework of civil aviation and will not be tolerated.Passengers are strongly advised to acquaint themselves with the Passengers’ Rights and Responsibilities, and Airlines’ Obligations as published by the Nigeria CivilAviation Authority (NCAA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Bye Laws.”
FAAN said moving forward, the authority would not hesitate to implement relevant sanctions as stipulated in ICAO Annex 17, Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations especially Part 17 and FAAN Bye Laws against any form of disruptive or threatening behaviour within airport premises.
“FAAN is also reviewing its protocols around restraining and prosecuting of passengers in line with the Airport Approved Security Programme and relevant laws,” the agency said.
The statement which was signed by the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mrs. Obiageli Orah, said regarding the recent incident involving a passenger on Ibom Air, “while the situation was initially managed by security personnel at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Domestic Terminal 2 (MM2), the FAAN Aviation Security (AVSEC) team has since intervened, taken the individual into custody, and handed her over to the Nigerian Police Force for further investigation and prosecution.
Recurring Unruly Passenger Behaviour
Some pundits have averred that the major challenge faced by airlines and airport management is the recurring unruly passenger behaviour; but regretted that the issues concerning Kwam 1 and Emmanson have attracted so much attention that Nigerians are no more looking at the conduct of these two passengers. They have become so emotional and political that concerned authorities may derail in adopting solution to drastically curb this menace.
Airline Operators have lamented about the unruly passenger phenomenon over the years, but the airlines are naturally blamed in most of the cases, especially when the matter goes to the people’s parliament. Other sentiments come up to interrupt the major issue, which is how to end unruly passenger problem at the airport.
In the case of Senator Adams Oshiomhole, which happened few months ago, many people in sympathy with the Senator started writing opinions in the media; that at the end, no lesson was learnt and the trend continued, climaxing at the Kwam 1 and Emmanson saga.
Airline operators during the Oshiomhole imbroglio had noted that it was important that passengers abide by the regulations that guide passenger processing and facilitation at the airports without which there could be chaos. The airlines emphasized that no one should act above the law and that if people repudiate the rules, it will become difficult to process the passengers and board them for safe flight operations.
Within this period where these three major incidents happened, airlines have witnessed those who tried to defy the rules due to their importance and influence and another who was irascible and belligerent. These actions showed why it is important that Aviation Security personnel should be employed in adequate number so that they could be deployed at every area of the airport where there is human interaction.
Government Resolution
It was really a relief that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, decided to amicably end the impasse involving Kwam 1 and Emmansonon Wednesday. But he remarked that both parties and other Nigerians must have learnt a lesson from what happened.
“In the last 48 hours, I have been in consultation with critical stakeholders in the Aviation Sector and those involved in the unfortunate incidents regarding the unruly behaviours of certain individuals at our airports of recent.
“Though regrettable, we think valuable lessons have been learnt by all sides to these incidents and airport security protocol, especially, have been well highlighted for the travelling public. If nothing at all, the episodes have undoubtedly helped to raise public awareness about appropriate conduct within the aviation space.
“As highlighted in my previous statements on the last two incidents, clear wrongs were committed by both the offending passengers and staff of the airlines involved from all the evidence available to us and those available to the public. It is clear that all the actors involved cannot continue to highlight the injury or injustice done to them without acknowledging their own equal culpability,” he said.
As solution to the problem and to forestall future occurrence, Keyamo emphasised on training and retraining of staff both for airlines and the airport management, especially those that interact with passengers and security personnel.
He therefore directed that all relevant Aviation agencies in collaboration with other complementary agencies outside aviation to immediately begin a retreat next week to properly retrain and prepare “our Aviation security personnel on how to deal with errant and disruptive passengers and how to deescalate potentially explosive situations. The retreat will be fully covered by the press with the opportunity to ask all the relevant questions.”
Keyamo said the airlines will also have their own session when the conduct and attitude of their staff towards members of the travelling public will be in full focus.
It is hoped that the incidents involving Kwam 1 and Emmanson will further highlight the need for air travellers to obey travel directives both from the airport authorities and from the airlines, but it is also important that highly placed individuals in the society know that the law is also made for them to obey.
