A Max Air flight scheduled from Abuja to Kano descended into chaos on Sunday after a passenger engaged in a heated confrontation with airline staff over an alleged wrongful downgrade from Business Class.
The incident, which occurred at the Aminu Kano International Airport, disrupted operations and delayed the flight’s departure by more than an hour. The plane, initially billed to take off at 7:30 a.m., eventually departed at 9:05 a.m., SaharaReporters gathered.
According to eyewitnesses, the passenger—identified as a businessman named Mikai’l—was travelling with his wife and two infants. He had purchased two adult and two infant Business Class tickets, but upon arrival at the airport discovered that the aircraft deployed had “no Business Class cabin,” despite his payment for premium seats.
Passengers said Mikai’l claimed airline staff informed him that all aircraft available for the flight were either full economy or premium economy, and that his original seat had allegedly been reassigned “to influential figures.”
One eyewitness recalled a staff member asking him, “Do you know who the seat was allocated to?”
His ticket reportedly indicated seat D1 C1, the front row of the aircraft. Mikai’l insisted that even if an aircraft change occurred, “it should not alter the seating arrangements,” alleging that the airline reassigned his paid-for seat to a VIP.
When boarding began and he observed the seat was still empty, he and his family sat there. “Boarding was almost complete, and he simply sat in the seat he paid for,” a passenger said.
However, SaharaReporters reports that the station manager, Bello Ramalan, instructed the flight crew to move him to a new seat assigned at the counter. When Mikai’l refused, the manager allegedly called in security operatives to remove him forcibly.
“While he was seated, the manager entered and directed the crew to move him to a back seat in the third row,” an eyewitness said.
The confrontation was eventually resolved through the intervention of three lawmakers on board: Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, and Senator Lawan Shuaibu.
Max Air: Aircraft Change Caused Automatic Seat Drops
In an interview with SaharaReporters, Max Air’s station manager, Bello Ramalan, defended the airline’s actions and explained the technical process behind the incident.
Ramalan confirmed that the aircraft originally scheduled—a Business Class-equipped plane—had been replaced with one that was “classless,” meaning all-economy. He said several passengers had booked Business Class seats, not just Mikai’l.
He further explained that when an aircraft change occurs, the reservation system automatically drops pre-assigned Business Class seats and reassigns passengers to economy, with refunds or fare adjustments processed afterward.
According to Ramalan:
- Passengers are either refunded the difference or allowed to use the remaining balance toward future bookings.
- All affected passengers are normally notified via SMS, though some—including the lawmakers—did not receive or notice the message.
- About five Business Class passengers were affected on Sunday’s flight.
- The airline “took over 30 minutes” trying to explain the situation to Mikai’l.
Ramalan added that even a senator who also had a front-row seat assigned (1A) accepted the downgrade after the explanation.
He admitted that Max Air “inconvenienced” passengers and apologised for the situation, noting that his staff spent over 40 minutes addressing Mikai’l’s complaints.
“We apologised because we inconvenienced him. Quite alright, we were at fault,” he said.