New revelations have emerged regarding the recent Ethiopian Airlines flight ET308 incident from Addis Ababa to Nairobi.
International correspondent and CNN host Larry Madowo has provided new revelations contradicting the airline’s initial claims, showing that the female passenger who was removed from her seat was not only forcibly removed but also compelled to delete her videos documenting the ordeal.
The earlier reported incident occurred on July 19, 2024, when a woman identified as Aisha was taken off flight ET308 around 11:30 PM.
Madowo, who reported the incident, shared a video where the distressed passenger could be heard shouting, “Don’t touch me, everyone is a taxpayer,” as flight attendants tried to remove her.
Ethiopian Airlines released a statement on social media explaining that the incident resulted from overbooking.
According to the airline, Aisha and her husband were among three standby passengers who tried to board the plane despite being advised that the flight was full.
The airline claimed its actions were not influenced by the presence of a VIP passenger in business class and were later accommodated on the next available flight.
However, Madowo tracked down Aisha and her husband, revealing a different side of the story.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Madowo stated:
“RECEIPTS: Ethiopian Airlines called me a liar, so I tracked down the passenger in my viral video who was offloaded for a minister. ET called the police on Aisha and her husband, forced them to delete their videos and left them stranded in Addis for 24 hours. They’ve received no apology,” he posted.
In the video attached to the post by Madowo, Aisha explained that they were not informed about the development before boarding the flight, and contrary to the claim that the seat was not taken for a minister, Aisha confirmed one of the staff had told her they couldn’t fly because a minister booked last minute.
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