Ethiopian Airlines Breaks Silence After Passenger Is Allegedly Ejected from Nairobi-Bound Flight
Ethiopian Airlines has addressed claims of inappropriately removing a passenger from a Nairobi-bound flight originating in Addis Ababa.
CNN journalist Larry Madowo, who was on the flight, captured the incident on July 19.
Madowo reported that the passenger was asked to vacate her seat for a supposed VIP.
“Ethiopian Airlines removed a passenger from my flight to accommodate a minister who took her seat. They offered no apology and eventually ejected her while she was yelling. The minister did nothing. It was nearly 11:30 pm, and the next flight to Nairobi was the following day. The Ethiopian minister witnessed the altercation but did not intervene. I had fallen asleep and was awakened by the disturbance. She wanted the incident to go viral,” Madowo shared on the X social network, along with a video from the scene.
The video quickly gained attention, leading to criticism of the airline’s staff on social media for their alleged inappropriate behavior.
In response, Ethiopian Airlines clarified that the video’s narrative was misconstrued.
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The airline stated that the passenger’s issues stemmed from her insistence onboarding a fully booked flight despite being advised to wait for another flight.
“The flight was overbooked. Three individuals with standby economy class boarding passes arrived shortly before the flight’s departure. They were informed by the Boarding Agent that the flight was full and would be accommodated on a subsequent flight. Despite this advice, they bypassed security and tried to board the plane. Our staff asked them to leave, and one complied,” the airline explained in a statement on X.
The airline also noted that the situation was misrepresented by other passengers who were not aware of the full context.
“There was a misunderstanding among the standby passengers, leading to the incorrect belief that their seats were given to a VIP. This is not true, and the video does not accurately depict the events,” the statement concluded.
Ethiopian Airlines Breaks Silence After Passenger Is Allegedly Ejected from Nairobi-Bound Flight
