Passengers of Dana Airlines, facing prolonged flight delays and cancellations, expressed their frustration by reportedly vandalizing the airline’s check-in counter facility at Murtala Muhammed Airport Wing 2 in Lagos on Monday.
The incident unfolded around 6 p.m. following the announcement of the cancellation of two flights bound for Port Harcourt and Owerri from Lagos, initially scheduled for 12 p.m. on the same day.
Eyewitnesses revealed that the disruption was a culmination of passengers’ mounting dissatisfaction, with some individuals having endured over 24 hours of being stranded due to previous flight delays and abrupt cancellations without prior notification.
“Some of the passengers have been waiting since yesterday after their flight was cancelled. They were promised that their flight would take off today but after over three hours of delay again, the flight was cancelled,” an airport official disclosed.
The enraged passengers reportedly turned to violent actions, damaging and disconnecting the computers utilized for airline flight check-ins. During the chaos, there were reports of airport attendants being subjected to physical assault.
“The computers were disconnected and vandalised, while some of the attendants were severely beaten by the passengers,” an airport attendant said.
The passengers were given assurances of a rescheduled flight on February 12 by the airline. However, the situation escalated as the flight cancellations continued, prompting a violent reaction from the affected passengers.
In response to the incident, Dana Airlines issued an official apology, attributing the delays to non-scheduled maintenance.
“We sincerely wish to apologise for the expected delay on your flight today 12/02/24 due to non-scheduled maintenance. We understand the negative impact this disruption might have on your planned activities for the day, and we are deeply sorry.” Dana Air said in its statement.
The airline reiterated its dedication to ensuring the safety of both passengers and staff, assuring them of a secure and comfortable journey to their respective destinations. Following the intervention of aviation security agencies at the airport, the frustrated passengers were eventually permitted to board at around 9:00 p.m.
