Air Peace yesterday stopped Asaba-bound Nigerian passenger from flying when he was suspected to have been very sick.
It was gathered that the passenger was supposed to travel on Monday but deferred his flight to Friday probably because he was too weak to travel.
It was also gathered that during screening, the carrier’s COVID-19 team found that the passenger’s temperature was high.
Subsequently, the airline isolated him and notified the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Port Health.
It was also learnt that the passenger returned from the UK recently and was taken to a hospital where he was treated without informing the authorities of the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Confirming the incident, the chief operating officer of the airline, Mrs. Toyin Olajide said the passenger was checked in by proxy.
She said the passenger might not have wanted to be noticed “but the management of the airline had deployed staff who strictly monitor passengers checked in by agents, especially since the Coronavirus became global pandemic.”
“A passenger who we learnt came into the country from UK and was very sick was stopped by our screening team when he was found to be very sick and we referred him to NCAA, FAAN and Port Health.
“Our records showed that he was supposed to travel on Monday but he moved his flight to Friday but because of the stringent measures we put in place, our staff was able to detect him.
“We made it mandatory that every passenger must be screened and must use sanitizer before boarding our flight. He was not allowed to board our flight; he was immediately isolated.
“We made sure he did not come to Air Peace counter and for the fact that he was checked in by proxy, we suspected he had something to hide.
“All those who are checked in by agents are closely monitored by our staff.
“We commend government for what it is already doing to curtail the spread of this coronavirus but Nigerians expect government to intensify efforts to stop the spread.
“We are collaborating with government to ensure that the disease is stopped from spreading in the country. We also commend our staff for its vigilance without which this case would not have been detected,” she said.
