Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
LAGOS, Nigeria – A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited to pay Mrs. Joy Nneka Ezetah damages totalling N13.08 million over its failure to allow her to board a scheduled Lagos–London flight, an incident that disrupted her onward journey to Canada and caused her significant financial loss and inconvenience. Justice Ibrahim Ahmad Kala, who delivered the judgment on Monday, June 15, 2026, held that the airline was liable for the losses suffered by the claimant after she was denied boarding at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on April 6, 2024, despite having completed check-in and obtained a boarding pass.
Ezetah had approached the court seeking N100 million in general damages for negligence, alleging that she purchased a business-class ticket through Air Canada for a four-leg journey between Lagos and Toronto but was stopped from boarding the Virgin Atlantic flight without justification. She told the court that she arrived at the airport on time, completed the check-in process successfully, and was issued a boarding pass for the Lagos–London segment of her trip. However, airline officials later prevented her from boarding, stating that they could not link her ticket to the connecting Air Canada flight from London to Toronto. The claimant argued that Virgin Atlantic owed her a duty of care and should have resolved the issue directly with Air Canada or made alternative travel arrangements instead of denying her boarding. She further informed the court that subsequent communication with Air Canada confirmed that her ticket remained valid and that she was expected on the connecting flight.
In its defence, Virgin Atlantic denied liability, contending that it was not the issuing carrier because the ticket had been purchased directly from Air Canada under a codeshare arrangement. The airline argued that an error code in its reservation system prevented it from issuing a boarding pass for the connecting flight and maintained that it acted professionally by advising the passenger to contact the ticket issuer. Virgin Atlantic also submitted that the claimant’s inability to complete online check-in before arriving at the airport indicated that there had already been an issue with the ticket.
After considering the evidence and legal arguments presented by both parties, Justice Kala ruled in favour of the claimant, holding that her case had been substantiated. The court consequently awarded damages of $5,906.50 against Virgin Atlantic, directing that the sum be paid using the prevailing exchange rate approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Based on the official rate of N1,365.50 to one dollar, the award translates to approximately N8.08 million. The judge also ordered the airline to pay interest at the rate of 10 per cent per annum on the judgment sum until the debt is fully settled. In addition, the court awarded N5 million in litigation costs against the airline, noting that the claimant had been compelled to seek judicial intervention to enforce her rights. The total award and costs amount to approximately N13.08 million. Neither Virgin Atlantic nor the claimant had publicly commented on the ruling as of Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
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