In the video, a passenger is seen launching into a brazen attack on a female Ibom Air flight attendant after refusing to switch off her mobile phone before take-off
Shocking footage shows the moment a raging plane passenger attacks a flight attendant after she made one simple request.
The row broke out after the female passenger – who is seen wearing a light blue top and black trousers – reportedly ignored requests from cabin crew to turn off her mobile phone. After she insisted on keeping the device switched on in flight mode, the pilot refused to continue take-off, and turned the plane back towards the airport.
She was then frogmarched out of her seat towards the exit of the plane – but did not go quietly, and in the clip she is seen standing in the doorway and striking a flight attendant.
READ MORE: BBC Death in Paradise’s Kris Marshall shares heartbreak over being sacked.
READ MORE: Toddler, 3, sick on her dress before reality TV winner beats her to death.
In the clip, taken at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, the attendant can be heard saying: “She is hitting me. She is f****** hitting me.”
Ground staff and security guards surrounded the passenger as her tantrum continued, and she was later seen on the tarmac yelling at officials before being escorted onto an airport bus.
Local media said the ‘runway rage’ incident happened just before take-off on the Ibom Air flight from the capital Lagos to the Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo on Sunday, August 10.
Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), urged travellers to respect instructions cabin crew – especially basic safety procedures, like switching off mobile devices during take-off and landing.
Mr Achimugu said: “When cabin crew ask you to turn off your phone before takeoff 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.”
Many airlines ask passengers to switch off electronic devices during critical phases of flight is necessary because they can interfere with aircraft communication and navigation systems.
In the US, a man was forcibly removed from an aeroplane last month after he tried to stab a flight attendant in the neck with a broken metal spoon.
Francisco Severo Torres also tried to wrestle open an emergency door during the frightening air rage incident on a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston, Massachusetts.
The 34-year-old had threatened other passengers during the journey, and told them he wanted to be shot so he could be reincarnated and kill everyone on board. He also claimed to be the son of Count Dracula, the fictional vampire from Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic horror novel, Dracula.