There was pandemonium on Thursday at the Ilorin International Airport as scores of air passengers protested delay in their flight by Medview Airline.
The affected passengers were stranded for about eight hours at the airport as no reason was given for the delay in their flight by the airline.
Though the Expected Time of Arrival (ETA) of aircraft was postponed to 2:30pm and 5pm but the flight schedules were not met.
Most of the passengers were seen at the ticketing counter of the airline venting their anger on the staff.
To pacify their frustrated customers, the airline later bought them lunch.
Some of the stranded passengers who spoke to Pilot Aviation, expressed their grievances over the development, just as they called on appropriate authorities to take up the issue with the airline.
Mr. Simeon Adishu, a passenger who expressed disappointment, said his first impression of the airline is not pleasant.
“We were told by the staff that the flight had been rescheduled to 2:30pm thereafter it was again shifted to 5pm but yet the flight was further delayed,” he explained.
Another passenger, Alhaji Nasiru Gambo said he missed a connecting flight from Abuja to Kano scheduled for 2pm.
“This delay has made me to miss afternoon flight from Abuja to Kano and the airline will not refund my money.”
Also, a businessman, Chief Melvins Archibong said he missed a business meeting, vowing never to patronise the airline again.
Archibong however urged government regulatory bodies to strictly monitor services being rendered by airlines, calling for sanctions for flight delays and cancellation.
However, telephone calls and text messages sent to the Media Consultant of the airline, Mr. Obuke Oyibotha were not responded to at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, a passenger Mr. Asaju Kolawole protested at the airport on Saturday morning as he missed Medview flight.
He said ‘ I came to the airport around 8:40am just for them to say I’m late there is no seat for me while the departure time is 9:05am.
According to him, he has connecting flight from Abuja to Sokoto by 2pm, therefore, the airline must refund his money to book overland airways going same route.
The passenger, out of frustration and following a shouting match, seized the airline POS machine insisting that until he is refunded before he release the item.
The airline staff whose name cannot be identified during the incident insisted that the passenger came late as he was suppose to be at the airport for check in at 7:30am.
It took the intervention of security personnel at the airport to calm the situation and the passenger finally boarded Overland Airways to Abuja.
