https://twitter.com/ArabellaArkwri1/status/891407362678018054
EASYJET IS “VERY concerned” about an incident in which a man holding a baby was allegedly punched by an airport worker in Nice, France after waiting more than 13 hours to board a flight to London.
A photo posted on Twitter shows a man punching a passenger in a line of people in the terminal of Nice airport on Saturday.
Arabella Arkwright, a passenger on the flight, said the man was hit after families due to travel on the EZY2122 flight were delayed for hours, with little access to information or space to sit.
Arabella Arkwright, who posted the photograph on Twitter, spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live:
The man with the baby… went over and talked to the Frenchman and the Frenchman didn’t reply, he just smiled and smirked and then whacked this guy on the left side of his face.
She said that both men were taken away from the scene, but passengers demanded the man with the baby was allowed to travel on his flight.
“When he arrived on the plane, all the plane clapped him,” she said.
A video of the incident, published in The Sun, shows the airport worker quickly raise his hand to the passenger, who then pushes him away, before the employee punches the passenger.
A woman passenger is heard in the video shouting “this is a disgrace, we’ve got children babies screaming, no nappies no food”.
“You are appalling,” she added.
A spokesperson for EasyJet said that the airline is “very concerned to hear about the incident in Nice between a passenger and an employee of a contractor of Nice Airport”.
“The person is not an EasyJet member of staff and also does not work for EasyJet’s ground handling agents in Nice,” the statement said.
We took this matter up with Nice Airport and their special assistance provider Samsic and understand the airport has confirmed his suspension.
The airline apologised for the delay of the flight departing Nice.
The spokesperson said the delay was due to a “technical issue caused by a fueller at Nice Airport who drove away with part of the hose still connected once they had ceased fuelling the aircraft”, which resulted in damage to the plane.
“Whilst it was initially hoped a replacement aircraft and crew could position from Lyon to operate the flight this was not possible and a replacement aircraft and crew were sent from London Gatwick,” the spokesperson said.
EasyJet’s ground handling agents had updated the passengers with information about the delay and its flight tracker app was updated seven times during the delay, according to the airline.
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