An Egypt Air flight from Lagos to Cairo was delayed by more than two hours on Tuesday after passengers whose checked luggage had not been delivered since their arrival on May 19 blocked the check-in process for departing travelers, refusing to allow the airline to board new passengers until the airline’s general manager personally addressed them.

The protest at Murtala Muhammed International Airport involved the majority of approximately 219 travelers who arrived Lagos on May 19 without their checked bags. Despite the passage of more than a week, most had received no communication from the airline about when or whether their luggage would be delivered, a failure of passenger communication that became the central grievance among the protesters.

Ground staff and station managers were repeatedly rebuffed when they attempted to address the crowd. Passengers insisted that only the general manager of the airline’s Nigerian operation would satisfy them.

Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, explained that the airline operated a Boeing 737-800 on the Lagos route, an aircraft whose cargo hold was insufficient for the volume of luggage Nigerian passengers typically check in. He said the airline’s practice was to accumulate the excess luggage until the quantity justified deploying a larger Airbus A330 to carry both passengers and the backlog. He confirmed that the airline had not technically violated any regulation, as carriers have up to 21 days to deliver checked luggage.

Amr Basha, General Manager of Egypt Air Nigeria, arrived at the airport from the airline’s Victoria Island head office shortly before the scheduled 2pm departure and addressed the protesters, assuring them that all outstanding bags would be delivered within 24 to 48 hours. The flight eventually departed approximately two hours behind schedule.