Ethiopian Airlines Addresses Viral Video of Passenger Kicked Out of Flight to Nairobi

  • Ethiopian Airlines has addressed a viral video showing a passenger being removed from flight ET308 on July 1, which was travelling from Addis Ababa to Nairobi
  • The video, shared by CNN journalist Larry Madowo on X, alleges that the passenger was removed to accommodate a minister, with accusations of no apology and forceful removal
  • Ethiopian Airlines clarified that the flight was overbooked, leading to standby passengers arriving late and being advised to take the next flight, which they ignored

Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has more than three years of financial, business, and technology research expertise, providing insights into Kenyan and global trends.

Ethiopian Airlines has issued an official statement regarding a viral video circulating on social media platforms showing a passenger being removed from flight ET308 on July 1, which was flying from Addis Ababa to Nairobi.

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Ethiopian Airlines viral video.
Ethiopian Airlines has addressed claims that a passenger was kicked off flight to Nairobi and her seat given to a minister. Photo: Ethiopian Airlines.
Source: Twitter

The video was shared online by CNN journalist Larry Madowo, who said on his X platform that,

“Ethiopian Airlines kicked out a passenger on my flight because a minister took her seat. They didn’t apologize and they eventually forcefully offloaded her screaming. The minister did nothing. Disgraceful.”

Ethiopian Airlines responds

The airline explained that the flight experienced an overbooking situation, leading to three individuals with standby economy class boarding passes arriving at the gate just minutes before the scheduled departure.

The boarding agent advised these passengers that the flight was full and that they would be accommodated on the next flight.

However, the passengers ignored this advice and attempted to board the aircraft, bypassing security personnel at the gate.

Ethiopian Airlines clarified that their staff members courteously requested these passengers to disembark.

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While one passenger complied, the remaining two were escorted off the aircraft by security due to non-compliance.

The airline emphasised that these passengers were booked in economy class and that their seating was not influenced by the presence of a non-Ethiopian national VIP passenger in business class.

“It is pertinent to mention that these passengers were booked in economy class, and their seating was in no way influenced by the presence of a non-Ethiopian national VIP passenger in business class. Ethiopian Airlines follows a standard protocol wherein VIPs, Business Class Passengers, and Platinum ShebaMiles members are allowed to board subsequent to the seating of all other passengers” Ethiopian Airlines said in a response posted on X.

The airline stated that VIPs, Business Class passengers, and Platinum ShebaMiles members are allowed to board only after all other passengers have been seated.

A misapprehension arose among the standby passengers, leading to the belief that their seats had been allocated to a VIP, which was not the case.

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Ethiopian Airlines noted that the circulating video does not reflect the true sequence of events as they happened.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

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