Angry passengers at Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2) in Lagos vented their frustration by vandalising Dana Air’s check-in counters on Monday.
The disruption ensued after prolonged flight delays and cancellations, with passengers waiting for hours since Sunday.
Eyewitnesses reported that the chaos unfolded around 6 PM when Dana Air announced the cancellation of two flights bound for Port Harcourt and Owerri, originally scheduled for noon.
“Some passengers had been waiting since yesterday after their initial flights were cancelled. They were promised the flights would depart today, but after over three hours of further delays, there were more cancellations,” said an airport official who prefers not to be mentioned.
It is understood that some passengers had been stranded at MMA2 for over 24 hours after flights were delayed and cancelled without notice.
“Frustrated by the situation, several passengers started disconnecting the airline’s check-in computers. Some airline staff were also roughed up by the angry mob.”
“The computers were unplugged and damaged, while some attendants were beaten up,” said another airport worker who witnessed the vandalism.
On Sunday, Dana Air officials had informed waiting passengers that flights postponed from February 11 would now depart February 12 at 10 AM and noon.
“Unfortunately, around 6 PM, Dana announced more cancellations with no concrete plan on refunds or rebookings. That is when the furious passengers started vandalising airport property,” explained an aviation official.
Earlier Monday, Dana Air had issued a statement apologizing for the delays due to “non-scheduled maintenance” and assured that passenger safety remained a top priority.
It took the intervention of airport security to bring the situation under control. The affected passengers finally boarded flights at 9 PM.
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