Dati: Unruly Passengers May Compromise Air Safety

Stories by Chinedu Eze

Former Commissioner for Information in Plateau State, Yakubu Dati, has warned that if action was not taken to check unruly passengers in aviation sector, their behaviour may lead to safety breach at airports.

Dati made this known during his keynote address at the 2025 Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria Safety Week event held in Lagos.

According to him, the aviation industry has experienced significant increase in incidents involving unruly passengers over the past decade, which must be put under control.

The rise in unruly passenger behaviour, he said, posed serious challenges to operational efficiency and, at times, compromises aviation safety.

He said that effective conflict management within the aviation sector requires the integration of negotiation, mediation, communication, and safety management systems. 

Also speaking at the event, FAAN’s General Manager, Safety Services, Mba Ifeoma Lorrettor, said safety remained not just a policy and regulation in FAAN but a foremost value as it defines the authority’s culture, shapes operations, and sustains public trust across airports. 

Speaking on the theme: ‘Navigating Conflict for a Safer Aviation in Nigeria’, she said it underscored the importance of collaboration and communication in strengthening the authority’s safety culture. 

The Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, said to address safety concerns across Nigerian airports, the authority has trained frontline personnel in conflict de-escalation and behavioural awareness and enhance passenger facilitation processes to reduce stress and miscommunication.

Kuku who was represented by Director of Human Resources and Administration at FAAN, Emiola Luqman, said the authority was would also strengthen inter-agency collaboration to ensure clarity of roles and unified responses to conflict.