Aviation experts have questioned the decision of the Airline Operators of Nigeria to place a passenger, Ms Comfort Emmason, on a lifetime no-flight list, describing the move as unlawful and outside the association’s authority.
Their reaction follows a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of AON, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, who on Monday said the passenger had been banned from flying with any AON member airline, both domestically and internationally, for life.
Okonkwo had referenced an incident involving Ms Emmason, who was said to have acted unruly on an Ibom Air flight on Sunday. He stated that AON had reviewed the airline’s report and fully endorsed its handling of the situation.
“We commend the airline for its swift and professional handling of this unfortunate event and fully endorse the actions taken,” Okonkwo said.
However, aviation stakeholders have questioned the legality of the association’s decision, arguing that only regulatory bodies like the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority have the authority to impose such penalties.
A retired pilot and former Chief Pilot of the now-defunct Associated Airlines, Capt. Muhammed Badamasi, told The PUNCH that AON, as a private association, lacks the legal grounds to enforce a no-fly ban.
“AON has no power to ban any passenger. They, as individual airlines, can’t. It’s the responsibility of the regulatory authorities that have such power. They can only report to the NCAA, which then determines if any sanction is necessary,” he argued.
Supporting this view, aviation security expert and former military officer, Retired Group Captain John Ojikutu, said while individual airlines may reserve the right to deny service to passengers, AON as a group has no legal mandate to issue flight bans.
“Airlines can choose not to carry a passenger, just as passengers have rights. But AON cannot act as a regulator; they don’t have any extant law backing such a ban,” he said.
Ojikutu further explained that any such decision must align with national aviation laws and protocols, insisting that “The AON can’t exercise such powers. It is alien to established rules and regulations.”
He stressed that only under specific circumstances, such as violations of national security protocols, can a passenger be placed on a no-fly list, and only by relevant government authorities empowered by law.
The controversy has raised fresh questions about the boundaries of authority in the Nigerian aviation sector and the role industry associations can or should play in enforcing discipline among air passengers.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
