- Nigerian court rules in favor of affected passengers.
- Arik Air has history of mistreating passengers.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled in favor of the affected passengers and ordered Arik Air to pay N50 million in damages for an incident that occurred in 2018, where passengers were locked inside one of their aircraft.
Justice Emeka Nwite made the decision on Monday, dismissing Arik Air’s claim that the mistreatment of the passengers was a result of their inability to land in Abuja.
The incident took place at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, located in Northwest Nigeria.
According to reports, the aircraft flew from Port Harcourt to Kano and then continued to Kaduna the following day.
This is not the first time that Arik Air has been accused of mistreating its passengers.
In April 2014, Sahara TV released a video showing passengers stuck on an Arik Air plane bound for New York.
During the flight, the air conditioning system malfunctioned, causing extreme heat that resulted in passengers becoming agitated and angry. Some individuals even fainted due to the excessive heat, while others were seen removing their clothes.
Among the affected passengers in the 2014 incident was Nigerian celebrity Olubankole Wellington, better known as Banky W.
It was reported that there were significant delays during the check-in process, leading to unbearable heat after the passengers had boarded the aircraft.
The passengers were allegedly locked inside the sweltering plane for hours before they began to protest.
Arik Air is a Nigerian airline that operates primarily from two major hubs: Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.