Ill Treatment:
British Airways Apologises To Nigeria
British
Airways (BA) has apologised to Nigeria over the maltreatment
meted out to Nigerian passengers at Heathrow Airport in London
five weeks ago.
A statement issued in Lagos, South west Nigeria
by BA Media Consultant, Ademola Adedoyin, expressed "regret
(for) the upset that the events onboard the BA75 to Lagos on
27th March have caused in Nigeria.
He said "We have made it clear that the decision to offload
passengers was made in consultation with, and on the advice of,
the United Kingdom police; and the sole aim of this decision was
to ensure the safety of our passengers, aircraft, and
crew.Offloading passengers is not a decision that is taken
lightly, and is a rare occurrence. However, the disturbance on
board the BA75 service to Lagos on Thursday 27th March was a
very serious incident which required the presence of 20
uniformed police officers to regain control of the situation."
Adedoyin added that the commotion made it
dangerous to travel on the aircraft.
Adedoyi said BA is working with the Nigerian
Government to ensure the high standard operations between
Nigeria and the U.K. continues.
"British Airways has a long and proud history of
serving Nigeria and its people. For over 70 years the airline
has flown from the UK to Nigeria, connecting the country to the
rest of the world."
The passenger who spoke up for other Nigerians
and the deportee on the flight, Ayodeji Omotade, and others had
asked BA to apologise, and to withdraw the six months' ban on
him by the airline.
It will be recalled that outrage over the
incident made President Umaru Yar'Adua to order an investigation
by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
NP/MICHAEL
