The excesses of Turkish Airlines in Nigeria may have reached their peak as a Nigerian passenger living with disability who suffered racism and bigotry at the hands of airline officials is demanding the sum of $6, 000,000.00 (six million dollars) from the airline as compensation for her maltreatment.
The affected passenger who is a businesswoman and a frequent flyer on Turkish Airlines was said to have been verbally and emotionally abused by the airline officials in Istanbul without any consideration for her disability.
The inhuman treatment suffered by the disabled passenger according to the solicitors has not only put her in an emotional and traumatic stage but has made her develop a phobia for flying apart from suffering financial loss.
In a notice letter written by the lawyers of the affected passenger, Ms Margaret Arinola Adeyileka, Pekun Sowole & Co, titled ‘Re: Claim for Compensation/Damages Arising from Breach of Contract, Racism and Inhuman Treatment Meted out to Ms Margaret Arinnola Adeyileka, dated August 8, 2023, the solicitors complained about the uncivilized experience she suffered in the hands of the airline officials in April this year.
In the letter to the airline, the solicitors to the aggrieved passenger declared: “Our clients informed us as follows: She is a person living with disability and is wheelchair bound.
She is also a member of your airline’s Miles & Smiles frequent flyer programme membership No TK 526718516.
On the 4th of April, 2023, she was a passenger for hire on your flight with no TK 0626 from Lagos to Istanbul, Turkiye with her final destination in London, United Kingdom. By her itinerary, she was to spend six days in Istanbul for business before proceeding to London.
On the said 4th of April 2023, she arrived at Murtala Muhamed International Airport where she proceeded with the check-in formalities which were completed without incident and on completion thereof, she proceeded to board the flight.
Of note here is that because she is wheelchair-bound, her only source of mobility is her wheelchair (scooter) which she checked in on the flight.
On her arrival in Istanbul, she went through immigration formalities and arrived at the baggage carousel where she discovered that her scooter had been severely damaged and was inoperable.
The scooter being her only means of mobility, she complained to the personnel in charge of the luggage terminal hoping that it will be repaired and a rental one will be arranged for her while hers was repaired.
Shockingly, however, your officials offered no assistance and left her stranded there without any immediate solution to her problem. She as a result requested to see a manager but all her entreaties did not yield a result. As a matter of fact, her complaint was treated with extreme levity and in such a degrading manner which left her sorely humiliated, put down and ashamed.
“Having no choice, she took the sordid experience in her stride more as she had a tight schedule in Istanbul before heading to London.
She then requested her agent to assist her by taking her to her hotel, which involved being hand carried by her agent and a helper.
It must be emphasized here that with her scooter, our client is able to carry on her life and do her business freely with minimal assistance.
Our client was hand carried from the arrival terminal into a taxi and upon arriving at the hotel, she was also hand carried into the hotel lobby after undergoing the normal check-in formalities, she was hand carried to her room which was most embarrassing, humiliating and demeaning to her.
“The worst experience was navigating her way to her room, especially using the washroom/bathroom which was now onerous without the assistance of the scooter.
Before her agent departed her hotel, our client requested her agent to help with finding a company that could repair her damaged scooter which her agent eventually found the next day the repair cost of which our client absorbed otherwise she would have been stranded and incapacitated in her hotel room.
The unavailability of the scooter affected her schedule for the first two days as she could not perform any task without the scooter.
“Owing to her flight itinerary which she knew that she could not afford to change though it was your airline that messed up her trip, our client proceeded with her flight to London to London on the 10th of April with flight TK 1979.
The check-in process for the flight was normal and there were no challenges as the flight was heading to London, United Kingdom where there are strict laws and rules that protect people with disabilities which laws are obeyed.
Upon completing her mission in London and fearing that she may be subjected to the same treatment she was meted to on her flight from Lagos to Istanbul, our client purchased a return ticket for a career to accompany her from London to Istanbul and only and only to return to London after our client had boarded and only to return to London on after our client had boarded the Lagos flight.
“In that regard on the 26th of April 2023, our client and her career checked in and boarded your flight to Istanbul.
Though the London-Istanbul-Lagos had a long layover in Istanbul of about 9 hours, to her shock and consternation upon arrival in Istanbul, no provisions whatsoever to wit refreshments, meals etc were made for her and other passengers flying with Nigerian passports while the remaining passenger’s other passports such as Europe, Us and a few African countries were provided hotel accommodation in Istanbul by your airline.
It is to be noted that while there is a hotel facility within Istanbul airport, Yotel, your airline did not deem Nigerians fit to be checked into the said hotel, instead, they were forced rough within the airport.
Having no choice, our client endured the ordeal of being confined to her scooter throughout the 9 hours while her career provided the care she needed while she was in Istanbul.”
Despite the complaints sent by the solicitors to Turkish Airlines on behalf of the client, three months after the airline promised to investigate the injustice, no tangible response has come from the airline.
Having waited for so long without any action from the airline, the victimized passenger through her solicitors has given the airline fourteen days’ notice starting from August 8, 2023, to pay the sum of $600,000. 00 as compensation to the disabled passenger or face full legal consequences for trampling against her rights.
According to the solicitors, “our clients hereby make the following claims against your airline:$5,000,000.00 as damages and compensation,$500,000 for legal fees, $3,000 being the cost of new scooter/wheelchair, $10,000 for the loss of two business days in Istanbul, $1,000 for cost of hire of a career to assist her from London to Istanbul.
Other compensations spelt out by the victim’s lawyers include: N2,500,000.00 for medical fees for counselling, and therapy, £366 being the cost of a return ticket to Istanbul purchased for a career and others.
“Now, therefore, as solicitors to Ms Arinola Adeyileka, we hereby demand and request you to settle the above-stated claims within 14 days from the date hereof. And take note that unless the said claim is within the aforementioned period, our client would take legal steps against your airline to enforce her rights.”
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