Passengers storm Ethiopian Airlines offices in Harare
23 April, 2010
The Herald - RIOT police had to be called in to calm down scores of disgruntled passengers who stormed Ethiopian Airlines offices in Harare yesterday, as they demanded seats on the next available flights to Europe following a temporary freeze of flights over European air space.
The London-bound passengers whose flights were cancelled due to the volcanic ash eruptions over Europe caused a furore at the offices.
Airline staff called police after some of the passengers became rowdy after word got out that other passengers making fresh bookings were getting preference to travel ahead of the affected passengers.
Those who had booked for flights between April 16 and 21 claimed that some people who made bookings after flights were grounded had already left.
While the airline staff tried to calm down the restive passengers, the situation was easily getting out of control and it had to take the intervention of the Ethiopian envoy to Zimbabwe to cool down the tempers. He pleaded with the passengers to bear with the staff, as the situation was beyond their control.
"Our bookings were cancelled as a result of the volcanic eruptions, which is understandable because the problem affected flight world over.
"The issue now is that Ethiopian Airlines is now giving first preference to new passenger ahead of us. Some of them have been leaving since yesterday (Wednesday), and we have no idea when we are leaving," said one of the passengers who asked not to be named.
Ethiopian Airlines area manager for Zimbabwe, Ms Bethlehem Kinfegebriel addressed the incensed passengers. There are more 200 stranded passengers who were scheduled to travel with the airline.
Said Ms Kinfegebriel: "We have not yet received information on travelling schedules from the airline and therefore there is nothing much we can do."
Airline staff could be seen taking down the affected passengers’ names and flight details as they sought ways to calm the passengers but the situation was made worse because their computers were down.
One of the staffers who requested anonymity said that alternative bookings for the affected passengers had been pencilled in for May 5 and 6.
Most of the affected passengers are Zimbabweans resident in the United Kingdom, who were yesterday requesting the airline for a direct flight to London at the earliest possible time. The airline does not operate direct flights to London from Harare as it passes through Ethiopia.
"They (Ethiopian Airlines) should now arrange for a direct flight to London because some of us work there and we can no longer afford to abscond from work. We had already given our employers dates when we would be able to return. In light of the flight ban; we had dates that they (the airline) had given us earlier, but now they are rescheduling," said another passenger.
By midday yesterday the riot police had left but some of the passengers refused to leave waiting for word from on when they could travel.
Air Zimbabwe resumed its flights to London on Wednesday. Airlines which had also grounded flights around the globe following a temporary freeze on air transportation over much of Europe after ash and dust from a volcanic eruption in Iceland had clouded European airspace also continue to resume.
