THE Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has launched an investigation into a viral video showing a heated confrontation between Nigerian passengers and cabin crew aboard an Air France flight, following widespread complaints over alleged poor in-flight service.
News Point Nigeria reports that the footage, which circulated widely on social media over the weekend, shows visibly agitated passengers engaging airline staff in a shouting match, accusing them of denying passengers drinking water and addressing them in a disrespectful manner.
Although the exact date, route and location of the incident could not be immediately confirmed, the altercation reportedly caused a significant disturbance onboard the aircraft, as several passengers protested what they described as “inhumane treatment” by the airline.
In the video, passengers can be heard accusing flight attendants of refusing to provide water during the flight, while also alleging verbal abuse. The confrontation intensified after one flight attendant was accused of telling a passenger to “shut up,” a remark that provoked angry reactions from other Nigerians onboard.
At a point, a female flight attendant threatened to call the police, further escalating tensions.
“Let them call police, we are not scared of police,” one passenger shouted.
Another added, “You want to call police on us because we dey talk?”
As the argument escalated, two male airline officials joined the female attendant in an apparent attempt to de-escalate the situation. Despite this, several passengers continued to voice their grievances.
“This is not normal. Why can’t you give us water to drink? It is not normal,” a woman was heard saying.
Another passenger added, “Don’t you know we are human beings? Let us go, we want to go.”
Reacting to the viral footage, the NCAA confirmed it had commenced a probe to establish the facts surrounding the incident, including when and where it actually occurred.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, disclosed that preliminary checks suggested the video was not recent, contrary to claims circulating online.
“That video is old, not recent. I checked with our Consumer Protection Officers yesterday (Friday), and Air France did not even operate any Abuja flights yesterday, definitely not,” Achimugu said.
He added that the incident was also not linked to any Abuja-bound flight, as suggested in some online posts, noting that investigations were ongoing to determine the actual route and timeline of the event.
According to Achimugu, the NCAA suspects the incident may have occurred outside Nigeria, possibly during a flight diversion.
“We are suspecting that it was a flight that was diverted to Lomé, and while they were on the ground in Lomé, that might have been when this happened. However, we are still trying to get details about the incident,” he explained.
Achimugu said the NCAA had contacted Air France’s Lagos station as part of its verification process, but the airline denied that the confrontation involved any of its recent operations.
While describing the footage as disturbing, the NCAA spokesman cautioned against drawing conclusions without verified evidence.
“The video itself does not provide evidence against the airline. What it shows is unruly passengers. Even on domestic airlines, it’s not possible that you will ask for water and they won’t give you,” he said.
He also noted that the disturbance appeared to involve only a handful of passengers, while the majority onboard remained calm. Although the behaviour of the protesters appeared disorderly, Achimugu said the regulator would not speculate on whether intoxication played a role.
“We have seen issues like this before. If you see the way our people behave abroad, one will be ashamed to be a Nigerian. Even if the airline refused to give you water, that is not the way to behave,” he added.
Achimugu assured the public that the NCAA would continue to investigate the matter and release further details once its findings were concluded.
The latest incident adds to a history of complaints involving Air France and Nigerian passengers.
In 2025, the Federal Government threatened to sanction the airline over allegations that it mistreated and abandoned about 300 Nigerians at the Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport in Lomé, Togo. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had directed the airline to immediately airlift the stranded passengers, warning that Nigeria could deny approval for its summer flight schedule.
Similarly, in 2020, a passenger petitioned the NCAA and the then Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, alleging maltreatment on an Abuja-bound Air France flight, AF878, which reportedly diverted to Chad without prior disclosure. The petitioner further claimed that several passengers arrived without their luggage, while others discovered missing items after receiving opened bags.
More recently, a passenger, Nwodo Fidelis, also accused the airline and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) of failing to address repeated cases of alleged disrespectful conduct by Air France staff at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Efforts to obtain Air France’s official response to the viral video were unsuccessful, as messages sent to the airline’s publicly listed contact numbers were not returned as of the time of filing this report.