Unruly passenger delays Lagos-Asaba flight after assaulting crew member

United Nigeria Airlines has announced the delay of its Lagos-Asaba flight, originally scheduled for takeoff at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 19, following an incident involving an unruly passenger who physically assaulted one of its crew members.

The disruption, which occurred just before the plane was about to take off, resulted in the flight being cancelled due to safety concerns.

The airline stated that the commotion caused by the passenger after everyone had boarded and the aircraft doors were shut, lasted for an extended period.

In a statement, United Nigeria Airlines said: “We deeply regret notifying the general public that our Lagos-Asaba flight, originally scheduled for 6:30 am on Thursday, December 19th, was delayed due to an unfortunate incident involving an unruly passenger.

“This individual physically assaulted a crew member after everyone had boarded and the door of the aircraft was firmly shut.

“The commotion caused by this passenger lasted a long time, and for safety reasons and in accordance with international aviation protocols, the aircraft was grounded, resulting in hours-long delay.

“Unfortunately, this disruption may have a reverberating effect on other flights across our network and may cause more delays and cancellations. We are deeply sorry about this.”

The airline further urged passengers to address any concerns through the proper channels, such as customer service hotlines or online feedback forms, to ensure that issues are resolved efficiently and without compromising safety.