Four ‘must-dos and don’ts’ before flight takeoff

August 13, 2025 by Precious Olugbodi

xr:d:DAFWIxGKyBs:2,j:44355396931,t:22122911

The Federal Government, on Wednesday, ordered Emmanson’s release from Kirikiri and withdrew charges against KWAM 1.

 Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo announced the decision on X. 

This action preceded the unruly behaviour exhibited by the two individuals before the flight take-off.

Keyamo said recent events in the industry concerning unruly behaviour of certain individuals are unfortunate, stating, lessons have been well highlighted for the travelling public.

The controversy could have been avoided if the passengers had duly respected the precautions to follow before the flight took off.

Travelling by air is an adventurous journey, but as much as the journey is controlled by the airline, there are still responsibilities that passengers must ensure they follow to avoid disrupting the flight or causing harm. It’s important to know the safety precautions before the plane takes off.

Here are things you MUST DO before the flight takes off:

1. Fasten your seat belt.

This is the most effective safety precaution. Most modes of transportation always have to use a seatbelt during the journey, e.g, vehicles, buses, lorries, jets, planes, etc. This is essential as it ensures the safety of passengers on board. Passengers must fasten their seatbelts even if the seatbelt sign is turned off. Once the plane takes off, there’s a tendency for turbulence to take place, which makes the passenger vulnerable to harm.

2. Switch off your phone

While it’s good to stay in check with loved ones on the plane, it’s a must to either switch off your phone or put it on airplane mode. This is to avoid distortion with the airline communication network. The case of Emmanson would have been avoided if her phone had been duly switched off. 

The pilot would always announce to the passengers what they needed to know and do. To ensure safety, passengers must respond attentively to the announcement. So, it’s either the phone is switched off or it’s placed on airplane mode. But, if the pilot says airplane mode, then so it should be. The unruly passenger, Emmanson, had placed her phone on airplane mode but the instruction to switch off the phone wasn’t followed, and that caused a dispute between her and the crew members, which led to physical assault.

Here are MUST- DONT’S before flight take off:

1. Boarding with Liquid Substance

Passengers are not expected to take any form of liquids into the plane, such as water, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, etc. This is strictly flagged off before entering the plane. This compromise got Kwam 1 placed on a one-month ban. He was accused of carrying a prohibited flask believed to contain alcohol, spilling its contents on personnel, and later walking onto the aircraft’s tarmac, allegedly blocking the plane from taxiing.

Read Also: FG shuts Enugu airport runway; Air Peace, others suspend flight

However, some airlines would share liquids and snacks with the passengers during the flight. 

2. Boarding with weapons

Weapons are flagged off immediately during security checks to ensure the safety of everyone. As such, passengers must not board the plane with weapons, such as knives, explosives, firearms, or any other dangerous objects.

This is to prevent unforeseen threats that may endanger lives.