Nigeria’s civil aviation regulator has issued a directive ordering crews not to depart if there are disruptive passengers on board.
The directive, prohibiting take-off in such circumstances, followed a mid-September meeting between the civil aviation authority and a number of carriers – Air Peace, Arik Air, Ibom Air, Green Africa Airways, United Nigeria and others.
“Pilots are not to depart until disruptive passengers are removed from the aircraft or the matter is settled amicably,” says civil aviation authority director of public affairs and consumer protection Michael Achimugu.
The instruction is intended to enhance safety and discipline in the air transport industry.
“This measure will help protect cabin crew and encourage passengers to treat them respectfully,” adds Achimugu.
He claims that incidents involving cabin crew often escalate because pilots do not exercise full authority.
While the crew “must avoid being rude”, he says, passengers “should not mistake their firmness for discourtesy”.
The directive follows a high-profile alleged unruly-passenger incident in Nigeria on 10 August involving an Ibom Air flight at Uyo as it prepared for departure to Lagos.
Among the papers submitted to this year’s ICAO Assembly, which convenes later this month, is a document from the African Civil Aviation Commission urging stronger, more unified action against disruptive passengers.
”Despite ICAO’s development of international legal instruments such as the Tokyo Convention and the Montreal Protocol 2014, enforcement remains inconsistent across jurisdictions,” the paper claims.
It argues that the frequency and severity of unruly passenger incidents has “escalated” in recent years.
”A major challenge in dealing with unruly passengers is the lack of a harmonised legal framework across jurisdictions,” the paper adds.
“Under current international agreements, passengers who engage in disruptive behaviour may be subject to prosecution, but jurisdictional issues often complicate the process.”
It says a ”co-ordinated global response” is required which involves not only identifying and preventing of unruly behaviour “at the earliest stages” but also a “comprehensive, consistent enforcement strategy”.
