In a significant ruling, the Federal High Court in Abuja awarded N50 million in compensation against Arik Air for an incident in 2018 where passengers were locked inside an aircraft. Justice Emeka Nwite ruled in favour of the affected passengers, rejecting Arik Air’s claim that the maltreatment resulted from its inability to land in Abuja.
The incident occurred at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, Northwest Nigeria, during a flight from Port Harcourt to Abuja. Due to an aircraft accident, the flight was diverted to Kano, prompting 40 passengers to file a lawsuit against the airline. Despite arriving in Kano, the pilot did not allow the passengers to disembark from the aircraft, leading to their distressing ordeal.
It is not the first time Arik Air has faced accusations of mistreating its passengers. In April 2014, Sahara TV released a video showing passengers stranded on an Arik Air plane bound for New York. The air conditioning system was dysfunctional, causing extreme discomfort and anger among the passengers. Some individuals even fainted due to the intense heat, while others resumed removing their clothes to cool down.
Notably, Nigerian celebrity Olubankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W, was among the passengers affected by the incident in 2014. The passengers endured delays during check-in, exacerbating the unbearable heat after boarding the aircraft. They were confined inside the sweltering plane for hours before finally staging a protest.
Arik Air, a Nigerian airline, operates primarily from two hubs: Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
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