Nigerian flight lands in wrong city
A United Nigeria Airlines plane carrying over 100 passengers arrived at the wrong airport on Sunday.
The flight was supposed to go from Lagos to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, covering a distance of 511 kilometers (318 miles). Instead, the plane flew directly to Asaba, a city 371 kilometers (231 miles) from Lagos and 317 kilometers (197 miles) from Abuja.
Passengers on board wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the crew confirmed their arrival in Abuja upon landing, but it turned out the pilot was given the incorrect flight plan and they were actually in Asaba.
The airline denied the allegation and claimed that the flight was diverted to another city due to bad weather. According to United Nigeria Airlines, the crew was informed.
“We sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding on our [flight]. We are currently taking steps to prevent similar occurrences in the future. Our flight has landed safely in Abuja and we thank you for your patience and understanding,” it said in a statement.
“The cabin crew made the wrong announcement upon landing safely in Asaba and created confusion among the passengers,” the press secretary of the airline company, Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu, confirmed.
On Monday, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) announced on X that they had “commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding United Nigeria flight NUA 0506 to Asaba and the confusion it has created in the public domain.”
Nigerian Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo ordered the NCAA to gather all pilots and crew working on wet leases in Nigeria in the following 72 hours for additional briefing.
In addition, all wet-lease aircraft at United Nigeria Airlines have been suspended by the NCAA. The airline operates primarily with this type of aircraft, which means the planes and crews are owned by other airlines, and these flights have been canceled.
