VIDEO: Ethiopian Airlines responds to viral video of passenger being allegedly removed for a Minister
Ethiopian Airlines has released an official statement addressing a viral video on social media showing a woman being removed from one of its flights.
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The video (below), posted on various platforms, shows a passenger being taken off flight ET308 on July 19, which was bound from Addis Ababa to Nairobi.
In a statement on its Twitter (X) account, the airline explained that the incident was due to an overbooking situation involving three passengers who arrived at the boarding gate just before the flight's departure.
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 pic.twitter.com/RSgDUbbDez— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) July 20, 2024
Official Statement Regarding Recent Video Circulation
— Ethiopian Airlines (@flyethiopian) July 21, 2024
Ethiopian Airlines has watched the circulation of a viral video on various social media platforms depicting a passenger being removed from flight ET308 on July 19th, from Addis Ababa to Nairobi.
“We took the necessary time to investigate the matter thoroughly and bring the factual information to the public. On the date mentioned above, the flight experienced an overbooking situation,” the statement read.
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The airline detailed that three passengers with standby economy class boarding passes arrived at the gate shortly before the scheduled departure. The boarding agent informed them that the flight was full and that they would be accommodated on the next available flight.
Ethiopian Airlines noted that despite this advice, the passengers attempted to board the aircraft, bypassing security. Staff members courteously requested the passengers to disembark. One complied, while the other two were escorted off by security due to non-compliance.
The airline also clarified that the passengers were booked in economy class and that their seating was not influenced by the presence of a non-Ethiopian VIP passenger in business class. "Ethiopian Airlines follows a standard protocol wherein VIPs, Business Class passengers, and Platinum Sheba Miles members are allowed to board after the seating of all other passengers," the statement added.
The airline dismissed claims that an Ethiopian minister occupied the passenger’s seat, leading to her removal. “A misapprehension arose among the standby passengers, leading to the distorted belief that their seats had been allocated to a VIP. This is not the case, and the circulating video does not reflect the true sequence of events,” the airline clarified.
It said the affected passengers were accommodated on the next available flight, and Ethiopian Airlines expressed appreciation for the public's understanding of the situation.