'Distasteful' incident undermines safety of passengers and crew: SACAA on viral FlySafair incident

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has condemned the behaviour of a passenger after a viral video showing her involved in an altercation with flight attendants on a FlySafair flight last Thursday.

In several videos that have gone viral on social media, the woman is seen in a heated altercation with flight attendants who are trying to calm her down.

The passenger has since been identified as Nobuntu Mkhize, an employee of the SABC.

The SACAA director of civil aviation, Poppy Khoza, has condemned the incident, emphasising the regulator’s zero-tolerance stance against passengers who assault, threaten, intimidate or interfere with airline cabin crew members.

“It must be noted that cabin crew members are licensed as safety officers under the Civil Aviation Regulations. Their primary duty therefore is to ensure safety protocols are always maintained, as well as the comfort of passengers,” said Khoza.

“The incident aboard the aircraft was unfortunate and distasteful as it sought to undermine the safety of passengers and crew.”

The national civil aviation safety and security regulator has confirmed that it has received a full report from the airline on the incident that has now been handed over to law enforcement for further investigation.

According to the SACAA, in terms of section 135 of the Civil Aviation Act, unruly behaviour is a punishable offence that can lead to an imprisonment sentence of up to six months. Disobeying and interfering with orders from the cabin crew violates civil aviation laws and carries a fine and jail sentence.

Khoza said unruly, disorderly or indecent behaviour on board any aircraft endanger the safety of the aircraft and occupants, and could not be tolerated.

“We want to discourage any act that undermines the safety of crew and passengers and call on all passengers travelling on any flight to observe and obey the instructions of the crew. South Africa carries a sterling record in air safety and this cannot be undermined by any individual,” she said.

“While we appreciate the co-operation of passengers during the incident, we also commend the efforts of the cabin crew who worked hard to de-escalate the situation and ensure the safety of all passengers on board.”

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