A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered Virgin Atlantic Airways to pay Mrs Joy Ezetah damages amounting to $5,906.50 after the airline allegedly prevented her from boarding a scheduled Lagos-to-London flight, leading to disruptions in her onward journey to Canada and causing financial losses.
Justice Ibrahim Kala, in a judgment delivered on Monday, held that the airline was responsible for the hardship and losses suffered by the claimant after she was denied boarding at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on April 6, 2024.
Ezetah had approached the court seeking N100 million in general damages, arguing that she purchased a business-class ticket through Air Canada for a four-leg journey between Lagos and Toronto but was stopped from boarding the Virgin Atlantic flight without valid justification.
She told the court that she arrived at the airport early, completed the check-in process and was issued a boarding pass for the Lagos-London segment of the trip.
According to her, officials of the airline later denied her access to the flight on the grounds that her ticket could not be linked to the connecting Air Canada flight from London to Toronto.
The claimant argued that Virgin Atlantic owed her a duty of care and should have resolved the issue directly with Air Canada or made alternative travel arrangements instead of refusing her boarding.
She further informed the court that subsequent communication with Air Canada confirmed that her ticket remained valid and that she was expected on the connecting flight.
Virgin Atlantic, however, denied
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