Chinedu Eze
Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace, has denied airlifting a passenger suspected of coronavirus infection on its Lagos-Kano flight on Tuesday.
The management of the airline explained that a 13-year-old boy, who was accompanied by his parents but flying for the first time, suffered from flight phobia and vomited in the aircraft en route Kano.
Air Peace also explained that when the incident happened, the Captain in Command of the flight informed the air traffic control and Port Health about the development before the flight landed at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
Unfortunately, some officials at the airport made a video of the aircraft when it arrived and shared it on the social media and misinformed the public that the aircraft had a COVID-19 suspect.
Air Peace disclosed that the flight waited for about 50 minutes so that officials from Port Health Authority could attend to the boy.
Port Health has also confirmed that the boy suffered from flight phobia and disclosed that after interviewing the parents, they disclosed that the boy vomits even when he travels by road to school, adding that when he was tested, the result was negative.
The Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace, Mrs. Toyin Olajide, who made this known, said that as it has become a tradition, the airline’s COVID-19 team sanitizes and checks the temperature of every passenger and gives approval before they are allowed to board the airline’s flight.
She also disclosed that the aircraft was again disinfected by Port Health Authorities at the Kano airport before passengers were checked in to Abuja.
“We did not carry any passenger that has COVID-19. What happened was that a 13-year-old boy was travelling by air for the first time. He was with his parents. While airborne, he started vomiting. The pilot promptly called Port Health, even when it was obvious that he was suffering from flight phobia.
“The Captain also informed the Control Tower about the incident but when the aircraft landed, some people made a video of the aircraft and started circulating false information about what really happened,” Mrs Olajide said.
She said on landing, the aircraft was delayed for 50 minutes so that Port Health officials could come and examine the boy.
“Port Health officials checked his temperature and certified him okay. They also disinfected the aircraft and we boarded passengers to Abuja.
“We have been protecting our passengers and crew from coronavirus. We are the first airline to adopt the screening of passengers for COVID-19 before boarding them and we have our COVID-19 team, which must certify every passenger before he is allowed to board. It is regrettable that some people chose to misinform the public about what happened,” Olajide said.
