NCAA reacts to rising air rage incidents, says enforcement action will become prevalent

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says enforcement action will soon become more frequent in Nigerian airports as unruly conduct by passengers becomes rampant.

The authority was reacting to the latest incident of airport rage involving a female passenger who assaulted crew members and security personnel aboard an Ibom Air flight inbound Lagos from Uyo on August 10.

Videos circulating on X showed the visibly agitated passenger confronting and attacking airline staff.

In a statement on Monday, Mike Achimugu, director of public affairs and consumer protection at NCAA, warned that it would intensify enforcement against unruly passenger behaviour.

He stressed that air safety regulations must be obeyed.

“We cannot continue to refuse to comply with air travel regulations. Safety is for all,” Achimugu said.

“We need to improve the speed/quality of response to unruly passenger behaviour and other security situations and the airports. You cannot disobey rules in Nigeria that you obey abroad.

“Robust ramifications and enforcement actions will become the order of the day.”

While promising more sensitisation campaigns and passenger responsibility education, the director urged all agencies to “look inward and tighten up loose ends”.

Earlier, Ibom Air said it imposed a travel restriction on the female passenger for assaulting some of its cabin crew members, and will no longer fly with any of its aircraft.

The airline said her conduct posed “a serious threat to the safety of our crew, passengers, and aircraft.”

The incident occurred days after Wasiu Ayinde, the veteran Fuji musician also known as KWAM 1, spilt an alcoholic beverage on airport staff while boarding a ValueJet aircraft at the domestic terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.