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BA tied up and offloaded 'diabetic passenger' at remote military base over business class row

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A British Airways passenger allegedly abandoned on a tiny Portuguese island after demanding an upgrade to business class was a 65-year-old diabetic with cancer, it has been disclosed.

Kwame Bantu alleges he was “ambushed” and tied up by cabin staff after he tried to ease his swollen legs by moving to a seat with more room on the Boeing 777.

When another passenger, Joy Stoney, protested on his behalf, the transatlantic flight diverted to the tiny island of Terceira in the Azores and the pair were kicked off, the Daily Mail reported.

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“I was just trying to get some room to stretch my leg,” Mr Bantu said.

“But nobody was helping me. They refused to listen about my medical illness and what I was going through. I was treated like a slave.”

Mr Bantu, a retiree from south London, went on: “They ambushed me. They tied my feet, my shoulders and my arms and they left me in my seat.

“I was completely humiliated, my human rights had been taken away from me. I didn't even have the energy to fight them because my blood pressure would have gone even higher.

“It's when some of the other passengers expressed their concern for me that they stopped the plane and landed to kick us out.’

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British Airways on Thursday said it was investigating the incident on the Gatwick to Kingston Jamaica flight, but said cabin staff had “no option” but to restrain the passenger.

Ms Stoney said she had intervened after she saw staff dragging Mr Bantu through the plane.

She said his treatment was “absolutely preposterous”.

“They restrained him by his shoulders via his neck and hands with straps. His ankles were strapped and on top of everything, they handcuffed him.

“What alarmed me the most was when he wanted to urinate. I know from caring for my mother that if you restrain a diabetic like that, they're going to need the toilet."

Ms Stoney said she had volunteered to accompany Mr Bantu to the toilet, but this was declined. 

“They refused to give him proper food. They only gave him a bread roll and a small cup of water.”

The pair were left at a Portuguese air base on the island.

An air force spokesman said: “The pilot decided to land in Lajes in the island of Terceira because of a dispute between cabin crew and a couple who wanted to be transferred from economy class to first class.

He said the pair, from Britain, had filmed the spat on a mobile phone.

"The British couple will remain in Terceira and will be questioned by police."

A spokesman for the airline said: “Caring for our customers is our highest priority and we continue to investigate all the circumstances surrounding this incident.

“We take great care to handle these difficult situations as sensitively as possible. Our cabin crew and one of our pilots repeatedly asked a customer to return to his booked seat in economy after he sat in our business class cabin without permission.

“He repeatedly refused, and disturbed other customers.

“As a last resort, our cabin crew felt they had no option but to restrain the customer in the interests of the safety of everyone on board and helped him walk back to his original seat.”

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