THIS is the shocking moment a furious airline passenger punched a flight attendant after being told to “turn off her phone”.
The aggressive outburst resulted in the woman being hauled off onto an airport bus by a group of staff.
The chaos erupted on Sunday on a domestic flight from the city of Lagos, Nigeria, to the town of Uyo, around 400 miles away.
A woman was asked by Ibom Air cabin crew to turn off her phone as the plane was heading towards the runway.
But she is said to have ignored the request, refusing and insisting she would switch her phone to flight mode instead.
When things became more heated, the pilot turned the aircraft back to the terminal at Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
The woman was forced to get out of her seat and brought to the front of the plane, where she hit a flight attendant standing in the doorway.
In the shocking video, the staff member can be heard saying: “She is hitting me. She is f***ing hitting me.”
The attendant raises her hands to protect her face from further blows.
The incensed passenger shouts: “What did you do?”
The passenger is then seen putting on her jacket and being removed from the plane with her luggage.
Once outside, security staff were forced to restrain her.
At one point, the passenger even swings a small leather handbag at staff.
The woman appears to shout and swear at airport officials before lunging at a member of staff.
Staff had to lift her onto the airport bus, where she continued to struggle.
Ibom Air has imposed a lifetime ban on the passenger, according to local outlet Business Day.
The airline has issued a statement emphasizing its strict policy of not tolerating any disruptive or aggressive behavior that could jeopardize the safety of its passengers, crew, or equipment.
“Such behaviour will be met with the strongest possible response, including legal action and permanent restriction from our services.”
It added that it “commended the bravery and professionalism” of its crew along with the support from airport staff and the Nigerian Police.
Commenting on the matter, Michael Achimugu, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), highlighted the importance of passengers adhering to the instructions given by cabin crew members.
He said: “When cabin crew ask you to turn off your phone before take-off or landing, simply comply.
“I can’t understand why simple routine issues would lead to incidents like this.
“Passengers need to understand they have responsibilities, not just rights.”
It comes after a brawl recently erupted onboard a flight when some passengers reportedly refused to keep quiet after the lights were dimmed.
Shocking footage from an AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur to China shows several people wrestling in the middle of the aisle.
Tensions flared when a man seated behind a row of three young women became furious when they kept “talking loudly”.
He then shouted: “‘Shut up… are you stupid? I want to sleep.”
A video clip captures a woman dressed in green and wearing a baseball cap, leaning over her seat as she consistently throws punches at a man, who appears to be shielding himself under the food tray.
Desperate AirAsia cabin crew in the company’s distinctive red dresses can be seen wrestling with those involved in the fight.
