Air Peace has disclosed that the passenger onboard its Lagos-Kano flight on Tuesdaymsuffered motion sickness and was not infected with coronavirus as widely speculated.
There were reports on Tuesday morning that there was a suspected case of coronavirus onboard the flight which made the captain declare a medical emergency upon landing.
The airline, however, explained that the passenger was a 13- year-old boy who was accompanied by his parents but flying for the first time and suffered from flight phobia.
The airline said the passenger vomited in the aircraft while it was airborne, adding that the captain informed air traffic control and Port Health Services about the development before the flight landed at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
“Unfortunately, some officials at the airport made a video of the aircraft when it arrived and shared it on the social media and misinformed the public that the aircraft had a COVID-19 suspect,” the airline said.
The airline said the flight waited for about 50 minutes so that officials from Port Health Services could attend to the boy.
According to the airline, Port Health Services also confirmed that the boy suffered from flight phobia.
The Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace, Mrs Toyin Olajide, said the aircraft was disinfected by the Port Health Services at the Kano airport before passengers were checked in for the Abuja flight.
“We did not carry any passenger that has COVID-19. What happened was that a 13-year-old boy was travelling by air for the first time. He was with his parents. While airborne he started vomiting. The pilot promptly called Port Health, even when it was obvious that he was suffering from flight phobia,” she said.
