Nigerian carrier, Air Peace, says it will henceforth penalise violent passengers especially those who attack guests, their staff or involved in the destruction of company’s facilities.
The airline’s spokesman, Chris Iwarah, said in a statement on Thursday that the airline took the decision after a passenger who flew into a rage and destroyed its check-in system at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos on Tuesday was blacklisted.
Iwarah said the airline had already dispatched a letter to the unnamed passenger informing him of the ban.
He said the company was also reviewing 14 similar cases to check the growing trend of attacks and violence by air travellers.
Iwarah said: “During the check-in formalities of our Lagos-Abuja Flight P47128 at the GAT on 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.
“It is also 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.”
According to him, some Air Peace staff have frequently been attacked by aggrieved passengers at the slightest excuse while facilities costing 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.
“This trend poses a grave danger to the lives of our esteemed guests and staff, and such unruly passengers are no longer welcome on any of our flights,” Iwarah said.
He added that the airline would continue to take all reasonable steps within its capacity to check violent conduct by passengers.
Iwarah also urged the regulatory authorities and security agencies to take a tough stand against this trend to ensure that the safety of law-abiding travelers and aviation staff was not compromised.
“We affirm that a vast majority of our valued guests show understanding and cooperate with us and we are sincerely grateful for their support, patronage and loyalty.
“We solicit their support in checking the unfortunate violent behaviour of the handful of persons who often seek to frustrate our determination to provide quality flight services in a safe atmosphere.
“We have active online and physical channels through which members of the flying public can let us know their grievances with a view to addressing them.
“We appeal to them to consider this a better option than a resort to violence and self-help,” the airline said.
