The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed pilots not to take off with unruly passengers on board.
Michael Achimugu, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, gave the directive during a meeting with domestic airline operators in Abuja on Wednesday.
He explained that the move is to strengthen safety and discipline within the aviation sector.
“Pilots must not fly plane until unruly passengers are removed from the aircraft by security or the issue resolved amicably. This will go a long way to protect cabin crew and make passengers treat them with courtesy,” Achimugu said.
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He noted that most incidents escalate because pilots fail to take full control of the situation.
“Cases are overblown because the pilots in command did not take charge. Going forward, no passenger has right to touch any cabin crew,” he added.
The NCAA director also urged flight attendants to act with professionalism while on duty.
“Cabin crew should not be rude and passengers should not misconstrue firmness of cabin crew as rudeness,” he warned.
Airlines present at the meeting included Arik, Ibom, Aero, United Nigeria, Green Africa, Max Air, Rano Air, ValueJet, Air Peace, and Overland.