The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is set to investigate complaints of excessive heat and inadequate ventilation aboard an Abuja–Calabar flight after a passenger reportedly began bleeding while onboard on Monday, October 26, 2026.
Passenger, identified as Bashir Usman said travellers remained inside the aircraft for about 50 minutes after its doors were closed, without the engines running or functioning air conditioning.
He said the heat became unbearable before he began bleeding, prompting the crew to consider disembarking him over medical concerns.
In a post on X early Tuesday, Usman praised fellow passengers who intervened, took turns fanning him and offered other assistance. The aircraft arrived in Calabar at 2:04 p.m., despite the flight’s scheduled duration of about 45 minutes.
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Responding on X at about 8 a.m., NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection Michael Achimugu said he had spoken with Usman, who attributed his condition to heat and reported experiencing similar episodes since childhood.
Achimugu defended the crew’s response, saying they had to assess the situation without knowing its cause. He warned that obstructing cabin crew during a potential medical emergency could delay critical assistance and endanger passengers.
He said the complaint would be referred to the NCAA’s Directorate of Operations, Licensing and Training Standards (DOLTS) to examine the reported ventilation failure and the passenger’s allegation that the crew offered neither an apology nor an explanation.
The case follows the NCAA’s scrutiny of a December 2018 Air Peace incident in which oxygen masks deployed after a cabin-pressure change on a Lagos–Enugu flight.
Although the circumstances differed, both incidents raised questions about onboard safety and emergency response.