There was an altercation on Friday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after Arik Air delayed passengers scheduled to take off at 5:10pm.
Drama started when the airline announced boarding for passengers scheduled to leave at 6:45pm, neglecting those it had delayed at 5:10pm and rescheduled to 7:30pm.
Frustrated passengers stormed the boarding gate in a bid to prevent the 6:45pm passengers from boarding their flight until they got an explanation from Arik Air.
After minutes of waiting, an Arik Air official, who identified himself as Lukman, told off passengers asking for an explanation, saying, “We don’t have enough aircrafts on ground and to borrow an aircraft to convey this people. There is a problem with rotation of aircraft, the one that is supposed to take the 5:10pm passengers is an route from Ilorin.”
When prodded by passengers as to why the delay was not explained to them, Lukman said, “You are costing us money by wasting our time please get out of the way”.
His comments angered passengers, who soon demanded an apology from the airline.
