The smoking passenger who will not sit down

Split the job immediately. One crew member owns the casualty, at least two own the aggressor, and a fourth controls the cabin. You cannot de-escalate and treat a bleeding arm simultaneously.

The injured passenger (first, because he is the one with a wound)

• Gloves, direct pressure on the 3 cm laceration, check circulation and sensation beyond it, then clean and dress.
• Ask about anticoagulants and tetanus cover.
• Remember he was knocked against a seat armrest - check for a head injury and ask about neck pain before you move him. Move him forward, away from the aggressor, and keep a crew member with him.

The aggressor

• No single-crew confrontation and no argument about the cigarette - that argument is already lost.
• Calm, low voice, use his name from the manifest, hands visible, keep distance, do not touch him until you have numbers and a plan.
• Keep the aisle clear and the other passengers seated and quiet; an audience escalates.

Restraint is justified when he is an actual continuing threat - he has already pushed a crew member and injured a passenger, and he is out of his seat in an exit row. Then:

• Brief at least four crew, approach together, move him to a seat away from the exit row.
• Approved restraint devices only, as trained. Never prone or face-down. Never around the neck, chest or abdomen.
• Check breathing, circulation and consciousness every 15 minutes, log the times, give water, escort to the toilet, never leave him unattended.
• Reseat 34G: he cannot occupy an exit-row seat in that state. Move an able-bodied adult into the exit row and re-brief them.
• Remove the duty-free bottle. Then inform the captain with facts and times, not adjectives.

Authority. The aircraft commander has legal authority over the aircraft and everyone on board. Under the Tokyo Convention 1963 - given effect in Nigeria through the Civil Aviation Act - the commander may take reasonable and proportionate measures, including restraint, against a person who endangers the safety of the aircraft or of persons on board, or who refuses to obey lawful instructions, and may disembark that person. Cabin crew act on the commander's authority and within the operator's procedures.

Restraint is a safety measure, not a punishment. Its lawfulness depends on necessity, proportionality, the shortest possible duration, and being able to show you did it carefully. That is exactly why the check log, the times and the witness statements matter.

It is also an offence, not just bad manners. Smoking on board and interfering with crew are breaches of the applicable aviation regulations and of the conditions of carriage.

Who decides. The commander decides on restraint, diversion, offloading and handover to police. The senior cabin crew member's role is to give the commander accurate facts and a recommendation - not to make that decision.

Jurisdiction. The aircraft is Nigerian-registered and the offence occurs on board, so Nigerian law applies to the aircraft. The State of landing may also have jurisdiction, and the commander may deliver the person to the authorities there under the Convention. That is why you record passengers' seat numbers and names: witnesses may be gone by the time anyone asks.

Continuing is defensible only if all of these are true:

• the restraint is effective and the man is calm and monitored;
• the casualty is stable and treated;
• and there are enough crew to keep a continuous watch for the remaining six hours.

That last point is the binding constraint. Two crew occupied for six hours degrades the safety margin for the other 214 people, and a restrained passenger must never be left unattended.

Divert or offload when: restraint fails or he continues to threaten or injure; the casualty needs more than first aid (a 3 cm cut may need suturing and a tetanus decision); or you cannot sustain the watch. With a suitable airport 1 h 10 min away and a long flight ahead, offloading early is usually the safer option - but the commander weighs fuel, police and medical availability at the alternate, and immigration.

Handover and evidence

• Preserve the cigarette end and the bin contents, the bottle, the restraint log.
• Take written statements from crew and witnesses while memories are fresh, with seat numbers.
• Brief the police and paramedics factually: what was smoked, what was said, the push, the injury, what you did and when.
• Notify the operator's duty/security chain and file the occurrence report; the commander files with the NCAA.
• Tell the other passengers briefly and factually what happened. Do not speculate, and do not discuss the man's medical state or his nationality.