Enugu State has started its own commercial airline called Enugu Air, which officially began flying on Monday, July 7. Not long after its launch, the airline became the center of online discussions because of a troubling incident on board one of its flights.
A video that is now being shared widely on social media shows officials dragging a male passenger out of the plane by force. In the background of the recording, someone can be heard saying, “Yes, yes, go down,” which suggests that at least a few people nearby seemed to agree with what was happening.
So far, nobody knows exactly why this man was removed from the aircraft. His name has not been made public, and neither the airline nor the passenger himself has released any official statement to explain what actually happened. The clip, however, clearly shows the plane carrying the Enugu Air logo, and the situation inside looked very chaotic as the man was escorted off.
This latest incident has reminded people of other recent conflicts between passengers and airlines in Nigeria. For example, Comfort Emmanson was involved in a heated argument with flight attendants during an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos. Similarly, the famous Fuji musician King Wasiu Ayinde also known as KWAM 1 or K1 De Ultimate was said to have had a dispute with ValueJet Airlines at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Because of these cases, many social media users and observers are beginning to compare the situations and express concern about the increasing number of disputes between passengers and airlines on domestic flights within Nigeria.