The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has imposed a lifetime travel ban on a female passenger, Comfort Emmanson, for allegedly assaulting airline officials on board an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos.
AON spokesperson, Mr. Obiora Okonkwo, said in a statement on Monday that the sanction takes immediate effect and bars Emmanson from flying with any member airline, locally or internationally.
Okonkwo warned that the same measure would be applied to any passenger who assaults airline crew or engages in disruptive behaviour on flights.
He stressed that such conduct endangers safety, undermines crew authority, and would not be tolerated in the Nigerian aviation sector.
The statement read, “The incident, which Ibom Air described, from the initial refusal by the passenger to comply with safety instructions regarding mobile phone usage, which led to the brutal physical assault on Ibom Air crew members and the attempted use of a fire extinguisher as a weapon, constitutes one of the most severe cases of unruly passenger behaviour witnessed this year.
“This was not just disruptive; it was a sustained, violent attack that placed the lives of crew, passengers, and the integrity of the aircraft itself at risk. This behaviour is unacceptable.
“Therefore, effective immediately, the AON has placed Ms. Emmanson on its ‘No Fly’ list indefinitely. She is hereby banned from flying with any AON member, either domestically or internationally, for life.
“Such incidents have become one too many, with the most recent being the incident involving Nigerian musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM 1) on ValueJet and the unruly behaviour of Senator Adams Oshiomhole towards the members of staff of Air Peace. It is also worth mentioning that this incident exposes the vulnerabilities in the security response by the Aviation Security (AVSEC),” the AON stated.
