NCAA Investigates Abuja-Calabar Flight After Passenger Suffers Bleeding in Unventilated Cabin
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has initiated an inquiry into an incident aboard an Abuja-Calabar flight, where a passenger experienced severe bleeding after being confined in an unventilated cabin for nearly 50 minutes before takeoff.
The incident occurred while the aircraft doors were closed but the engines and air conditioning systems were not running. The regulator is set to examine the circumstances surrounding the delay and the subsequent handling of the passenger. Neither the NCAA nor the passenger identified the operating airline.
According to an account posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday by the passenger, Bashir Usman (@Senatorbash), the extreme heat inside the cabin triggered the medical episode.
“The heat became unbearable, and I eventually started bleeding,” Usman wrote.
He stated that cabin crew subsequently approached him and informed him he would be disembarked due to the bleeding to prevent a mid-flight medical emergency. However, Usman protested, repeatedly insisting he was fine.
Fellow travelers, alarmed by the soaring temperatures and lack of ventilation, intervened on his behalf. Some passengers resorted to manually fanning him, while a woman provided him with her personal hand fan. Their collective intervention ultimately allowed Usman to remain on the flight, which arrived in Calabar at 2:04 pm.
Expressing his gratitude, Usman wrote: “We boarded as strangers, but you reminded me that humanity, compassion and solidarity are still very much alive among us. I may not know your names, but I will never forget your kindness.”
Reacting to the incident, NCAA spokesperson Michael Achimugu confirmed that he had contacted Usman by telephone to express sympathy and verify his well-being. Achimugu noted that Usman clarified the bleeding was a pre-existing condition triggered by intense heat.
Despite this explanation, Achimugu defended the cabin crew's decision to attempt to disembark him, emphasizing that airline personnel are legally bound to follow safety procedures and cannot immediately ascertain the cause of a passenger's bleeding.
“From the cabin crew's perspective, they were following due process and ensuring the safety of the passengers who thought they were heroes by stopping cabin crew from doing their job,” Achimugu said.
He noted that while Usman was aware his bleeding was heat-induced, the crew had no way of knowing that and had to consider the possibility of a severe medical emergency. He also highlighted the crew's obligation to remain vigilant amid recent public health concerns, such as the Ebola outbreak.
“You knew it was heat stroke. They did not know that. You may have needed immediate medical attention, and the difference between life and death might have been the little time that the others spent preventing airline personnel from doing their job,” he added.
While defending the crew's adherence to protocol, Achimugu confirmed that the NCAA will escalate the matter to its Directorate of Operations, Licensing and Training Standards for further regulatory review.