EasyJet Passenger Holding Baby Punched by Airport Worker

Mobile phone footage shows a tense situation turning violent in an instant when an airport attendant allegedly assaults a delayed and frustrated flyer who is holding an infant in his arms.

It isn’t uncommon for a postponed flight to result in frayed nerves and lost tempers, but a 13-hour mechanical delay at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) eventually crossed into near-mayhem when an airport worker reportedly punched an EasyJet passenger who was holding a baby in his arms at the time of the attack. Police say the passenger who has since returned to the UK and the airport special assistance attendant will both likely face charges as a result of the bizarre incident.

The airport contractor, whose job it is to assist passengers with special needs, has been indefinitely suspended from his duties. Samsic, the company that employs the unidentified airport worker, indicated on Monday that the employee likely doesn’t have much of a future with the organization.

“His behavior is inexcusable,” Samsic officials told the Daily Mail. “We cannot tolerate that. The version he has given differs from what the images show, but that is of little importance for us. Even if he had been attacked, his response was bad. He has been suspended and a disciplinary procedure is under way.”

Although initial eyewitness reports described the assault on the passenger as unprovoked, footage of the incident appears to show that the flyer who was holding the small child may have in fact instigated the incident by cursing at the employee before apparently smacking him in the face. In addition to frustration over the travel delay, the passenger is said to have been upset over a lack of adequate seating and not having access to diapers and baby food during the lengthy delay.

EasyJet was quick to distance itself from the rogue worker’s actions. “We are concerned to see this – it is not an EasyJet staff member,” the airline posted on social media in response to customer concerns about the incident. ”We are taking this up with Nice Airport and their special assistance provider Samsic, who we understand this person works for.”

[Photo: Shutterstock]