Recent incidents of passengers’ interface with airlines has spurred the aviation industry to re-strategise for a change, writes Chinedu Eze

The recent incidents of passengers’ interface with airlines, which started with Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, also known as Kwam 1 and Comfort Emmanson have brought sobermoments in the relationship between airlines and their passengers, even though such incidents were dismissed with a wave of hand in the past. 

In the past, airlines have complained severely about unruly behaviour of passengers, but complaints were never regarded as threats. Rather, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), as part of consumer protection regulation, has continued to inundateairlines with their obligations to the passengers aboutwhat they should do during flight delays and cancellations. 

The regulatory authority most often at the prompting of airlines, would reprimand passengers and issue feeble threats. But the incidents especially that of Kwam 1,involving ValuJet, showed that misunderstanding between flight crew and passengers could potentially lead to tragic ends. So, it is better such never happens.

Now, NCAA is seriously looking at these issues. The Director-General of the agency, Captain Chris Najomo, on Tuesday said following the incidents involving Kwam 1 and Emmanson, all electronics devices like mobile phones, tablets, laptops and others must be switched off during take-off and landing of the flight, warning that such incidents could damage public trust in the sector if not properly handled.

“Following two major incidents of passengers’ unruly behaviour at the airports recently, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has announced that all phones must be switched off during take-off and landing henceforth.

Najomo also said a memo would be sent to all airlines to update their protocols to include the new rule, even as he stressed the need for strengthened inter-agency coordination among regulatory bodies, security agencies, and law enforcement to ensure a safe and secure air transport sector.

He added that the meeting aims to determine and deploy immediate corrective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future, highlighting the importance of training, retraining, and continuous training on matters related to aviation security.

The new rule has put to an end the arguments made by some travellers that airplane mode is alternative to switching off the phone. Also, it has to be pushed forward for travellers to note that directives to achieve safe conditions to travel is not at the discretion of passengers; it is either the regulation is followed or the travellers may choose not to fly.

Mental State of Nigerians

Some industry analysts are beginning to link the violent reactions of passengers at little provocations and the tendency to defy directives, to the state of mind of most Nigerians. They attribute the choleric, irascible reaction of many Nigerians to issues as part of environmental influence and stress, remarking that many Nigerians are fastidious and easily take offence at little things.

The Managing Director of Travel Lab Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Shalom Asuquo, looked at the environmental influence to the behaviour of Nigerians and how this influences travellers’ attitude at the airport and in the aircraft while travelling. Asquo, who is Certified Behavioural Consultant and travel entrepreneur, spoke to THISDAY on various issues, including mental disposition of air travellers and described Nigeria as a pressure cooker. 

“Inflation, unemployment, and insecurity have eroded patience. In such an environment, airports already high-tension spaces become the stage where frustrations erupt. We cannot ignore the role of mental health and possible substance use. Some outbursts may be drug-induced; others may stem from untreated psychological distress. The Federal Ministry of Healthmust collaborate with aviation regulators to incorporate wellness screenings, awareness campaigns, and drug-use checks for passengers,” she said.

She wondered how turning off a phone on a one-hour flight could be unbearable for some passengers and how an instruction from a cabin crew could trigger so much resistance, noting that it could not be due to just arrogance but also phone addiction could explain such reaction.

THISDAY investigations also revealed that at most flights on domestic routes, there are always those who would refuse to switch off their phones, offering different arguments. They would insist that they know that switching off or not switching off the phone cannot affect the flight because aircraft uses advanced technology to communicate. Some will just be conceited, seeing switching off their phones as an affront. There is always apparent reluctance by some passengers to switch off their phones.

Phone Dependency

“Outside drugs and alcohol, phone dependency is quietly emerging as one of the strongest addictions of our time. Notifications, social media, and constant connectivity have rewired our brains. For some, the thought of being ‘offline’ for an hour feels suffocating. 

“This is what we witnessed with Comfort Emmansonon Ibom Air. A safety instruction basic, standard, and universal met with violent resistance. Her outburst mirrors a wider cultural truth: many of us are now bound to our devices in ways we don’t even recognise. And that addiction has consequences. In aviation, it doesn’t just disrupt discipline; it threatens safety,” Asuquo observed.

On airplane mode, she explained that many dismiss “airplane mode” as unnecessary, but the truth is more nuanced. 

“Newer aircraft are fitted with cell phone signal blockers that override personal devices. If you have ever boarded an international flight and noticed your phone signal vanish the moment the doors closed even before take-off that’s because the aircraft was fitted with a blocker activated by the pilot. 

“But older domestic aircraft (which are still very common in Nigeria) lack this technology. On those planes, devices must be switched off completely to avoid interference with the aircraft’s systems. That interference, even if momentary, can garble or weaken the signal at the most critical moments of flight take-off and landing when the pilot must have precise clearance from control towers,” Shalom said.

Ibom Air and Integrity

Industry observers are of the view that the Ibom Air incident may have been escalated because of the drama woven around the what happened but it was not as life threatening as the VeluJet incident, but when the flimsy top of  Emmanson, worn loosely without brassieres, got swept off in the struggle, resistance and frenzy, the attention of the nation became diverted. 

Asuquo observed, “The Ibom Air case has become the most polarizing of all, yet the narrative has been dangerously one-sided. This was not just a clash between a passenger and a crew member it was a show of total disrespect, a reflection of the wider environment where authority and seniority are often disregarded. Cabin crew do not act independently; they operate under the authority of the pilot, who is captain of the aircraft. Juliana, the experienced crew member at the heart of this incident, was simply carrying out her duty. What stands out is her restraint. She endured humiliation slaps to the face, jabs to the cheek, ears pulled as though she were a five-year-old child. Here we must pause and ask: how many Nigerian women, under such provocation and coming from a younger lady, would have kept their composure? Comfort’s actions showed a complete lack of respect, not just for Juliana as a professional, but also for her as a woman older than herself. How then can anyone praise such behaviour?”

Asuquo who is regular flier and travel and tourism operator noted that if Comfort truly believed she was right, “the dignified path was clear: she could have remained calm, taken her seat, and when security arrived, followed them quietly off the plane to explain her case. Instead, she chose to throw tantrums, escalate the situation, and humiliate another woman in public. That was not courage; it was indiscipline. Juliana’s silence and restraint, on the other hand, showed professionalism, not weakness.”

Public Opinion

But what has become pervasive was the lamentation of many Nigerians who decried the exposure of Emmanson breasts, an incident that attracted so much support for her, as many were willing to take her overseas, some offered her modelling jobs, some promised cash donations. But industry insiders are of the view that such emotions should not detract the fact that she did not dress modestly for the trip from Uyo to Lagos: no brassieres, a top that did not cover her upper body well and a short jacket which she quickly removed when she wanted to start her orgy of slaps of the cabin crew. In fact, a social commentator alleged that she might have orchestrated this to make herself “popular”.

“She has got the fame or should I say the notoriety she craved for. Everyone is now talking about her and she is a darling in the heart of those with jaundiced values. I checked her photos and videos on social media and they tallied with this expose; the difference, however, is that an airline has to be involved in this drama,” he wrote.

However, many Nigerians condemned the way the aviation security from the ground staff of the airline, the security officials of the terminal and the aviation security of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) handled the situation, but video evidence showed that despite provocations, even in the bus that conveyed Emmanson from the airport to the police station, these officials exercised self-restraint; even when she wanted to tear the shirt of a male security personnel and attempted to kick him out of the bus, he did not fight back. Many industry commentators attributed it to training; their ability to hold back despite the provocation.

“But there is also another question: what does Comfort’s behaviour reveal? Actions like slapping, pulling ears, and belittling others often echo patterns from homes marked by unresolved trauma. Could this incident reflect a deeper pain in her story a traumatised child inside an adult body? If so, it is a call for compassion, not dehumanisation. 

“I also recognise that many of the flying population are reacting not purely out of solidarity, but out of personal frustration perhaps because at some point they themselves were told the counter had closed, or they arrived late only to be denied boarding, or they missed a flight because Ibom Air insisted on punctuality. But lateness cannot be excused, and neither can unprofessional conduct toward staff. If anything, it proves that Ibom Air has been consistent in its standards. For this once, even if you have your grievances, forgive them,” she pleaded.

She added that despite the criticism, Ibom Air deserves commendation for what they represent in Nigerian aviation: on-time performance, reliable operation and professionalism.

Nigerian Airlines

Asuquo noted that despite recent turbulence, Nigerians must acknowledge the “remarkable progress our domestic carriers have made,” noting that Air Peacehas truly become the master of Nigerian skies. With the largest fleet in the country, “it continues to expand connectivity across Africa and beyond” and that ValueJet “has carved its space by bringing affordability and access to more Nigerians,” while Ibom Air “has consistently raised the bar, not just in professionalism, punctuality, and reliability, but also in the thoughtful packaging of their inflight meals.”

Industry stakeholders have also commended NCAA for its intervention at the critical moment to redefine the rules and reinforce the regulations that passengers and airlines must abide by in order to have safe and smooth flight operations in Nigeria.

The message from these incidents to the aviation agencies, especially NCAA, is that they should take unruly behaviour of passengers as seriously as they have taken consumer protection. While airlines must abide by their obligations to the passengers, passengers must abide by the regulations that guide air carriage in taking them from one destination to another.

The post Lessons from Passengers’ Interface with Airlines  appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.