Passengers chose to disembark with ladder - Aero Contractors

Following the outrage arising from pictures of Nigerians disembarking from its Boeing 737-500 airplane with a ladder at the Bauchi airport, Aero Contractors has said that the passengers made the choice by themselves.

Read what the Accountable Manager and Managing Director, Capt Russell Lee Foon, said about the bizarre incident which he blamed on failure of the airport management.

“Prior to leaving Abuja, the flight dispatcher contacted the Airport Manager to advise that the aircraft was taxing out and he confirmed that they were ready to receive the flight.

“At 10:42am, the aircraft touched down on Runway 35 at the Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport. The controller advised the crew that due to the absence of marshallers and ramp officials, parking would be at their own discretion.

“At 10:44 am, the flight dispatcher on board contacted the Airport Manager to advise him that they were on the ground, to which he confirmed that he has seen the aircraft and that they were waiting.

“After parking, the captain reported that they waited for 10 minutes for the stairs to be brought to the aircraft but no assistance or stairs came to the aircraft.

“The captain reported that he informed the passengers of the situation as they were beginning to get agitated. What was not known to the crew at the beginning of the flight was that the groom was on board.

"The wedding was to start in 20 minutes when the crew was told that the stairs had just broken down. 

“At this point the captain went to the cabin and explained to the passengers that he may have to take them back to Abuja as they cannot disembark due to lack of stairs.

“According to him, the group insisted that he cannot keep them on board the aircraft and he considered that their anger was becoming potentially threatening.

“The alternative, which the fire service provided was a ladder which the passengers took as an option and on their own free will used the ladder to disembark against the wishes of the captain and crew.

“The captain allowed this procedure in order to reduce what he thought was a volatile situation,” he said.