Photo: Emmanuel Jal/Facebook

South Sudanese musician Emmanuel Jal was reportedly banned for life from a Canadian airline over a comment about having "a license to eat humans."

Jal, who is also a Canadian citizen, made the remark after he asked for food from WestJet Airlines cabin crew but was told there was none.

WestJet reportedly posted on its website that such behavior would not be condoned.

"We understand that the person in question had starved for many years when he was a child soldier but - to clarify some confusion that he may have - WestJet is not the World Food Programme," the airline allegedly said.

In response to the reports, Jal said the matter had been blown out of proportion.

"This is crazy. Is this true or is somebody joking? I have been banned for life to fly WestJet. We were having fun on the plane when I cracked a joke that I have a license to eat humans if i don't get a sandwich. One of the hostesses said she is ginger beef so I can start with her and we all laughed loud [sic]," he said on his Facebook page.

The air hostess in question has reportedly been committed to psychiatric treatment.