An Air Peace flight was delayed for some time on Thursday, September 3, after a female passenger reportedly refused to leave the aircraft when she discovered that the seat assigned to her had also been allocated to another passenger.
The incident, which was captured in a video that has gone viral on social media, reportedly caused a standoff between the passenger, other travellers and airline officials before the matter was eventually resolved.
According to Instagram user Kevin Mike, who said he was aboard the flight and witnessed the incident, the woman had boarded the aircraft and proceeded to the seat indicated on her ticket.
However, upon reaching the seat, she reportedly discovered that another passenger was already sitting there and had also been assigned the same seat.
The development immediately sparked a confrontation, with the woman reportedly insisting that she had a valid ticket and would not leave the aircraft simply because another passenger had been given the same seat.
Mike said airline officials subsequently attempted to resolve the situation by explaining that the aircraft was already fully booked and asking whether any passenger would voluntarily take the next available flight.
As an incentive, the airline reportedly offered a 50 per cent discount on the volunteer’s next trip.
However, no passenger initially agreed to give up their seat, leaving the airline with no immediate solution as the dispute continued.
The standoff reportedly delayed the flight and forced other passengers to remain onboard while airline officials attempted to settle the matter.
“There was a situation on our Air Peace flight today @flyairpeace,” Mike wrote.
He said a female passenger was asked to wait for the next available flight because the aircraft was already fully booked, but she refused and insisted that someone else had taken her seat.
According to him, Air Peace staff then made an announcement asking if any passenger would be willing to volunteer to take the next flight in exchange for a 50 per cent discount.
“No one volunteered. As a result, the flight has been delayed because the passenger is refusing to comply,” he stated.
A separate account by X user Somto Okonkwo also confirmed that an Air Peace staff member appealed to passengers to give up their seats for the next available flight in exchange for a 50 per cent discount.
The situation was eventually resolved after two male passengers reportedly agreed to leave the aircraft and take a later flight, allowing the two women involved in the seat dispute to remain on the flight.
Mike later confirmed that the two men had accepted the airline’s offer.
“Finally, two gentlemen left the aircraft for the two women holding us hostage. All thanks to Air Peace @flyairpeace, who promised them a 50% discount on their next trip, plus a complimentary cup treatment,” he wrote.
The decision by the two passengers to surrender their seats eventually cleared the way for the flight to depart after the reported delay.
The incident has, however, raised questions over how two passengers could have been assigned the same seat and how the airline handled the situation after the error was discovered.
The origin and destination of the flight were not disclosed in the social media accounts detailing the incident.
Chronicles Reporters could not independently verify all aspects of the incident or establish the exact circumstances that led to the reported duplicate seat allocation.
Efforts to obtain an official reaction from Air Peace were also unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
The airline’s spokesperson, Ejike Ndiulo, could not be reached by phone and had not responded to a message sent to him seeking clarification on the incident.
The episode has continued to generate reactions online, with attention focused on the reported double allocation of the seat, the airline’s handling of the passenger dispute, the delay suffered by other travellers and the decision to offer a 50 per cent discount to passengers willing to take a later flight.