A Nigerian politician, a passenger aboard a flight that mistakenly landed in the wrong city within Nigeria, expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the airline’s response to the incident, stating he felt “insulted” due to the lack of a proper apology for the now infamous error.
The United Nigeria Airlines flight departed from Lagos, Nigeria’s main city, with the intended destination being the federal capital, Abuja.
However, it unexpectedly landed over 450km (280 miles) away in Asaba, another city altogether.
United Nigeria Airlines attributed the diversion to “poor destination weather.”
However, passenger Salihu Tanko Yakasai, who previously ran for the governorship of Kano state, contradicted this claim.
Yakasai, in an interview with BBC Igbo, mentioned that the weather was clear, and the pilot acknowledged receiving the “wrong flight plan” from Lagos.
He noted that the announcement about the error was made after the plane’s doors were opened, causing agitation among passengers who realized they were not in Abuja.
Supporting Yakasai’s account, another passenger stated that upon arrival, the cabin crew confidently declared their arrival in Abuja, only for everyone to discover they had landed in Asaba due to the pilot allegedly being provided with the incorrect flight plan from Lagos.
United Nigeria Airlines clarified in a statement that while the pilot was aware of the temporary diversion and properly briefed, the cabin crew made an erroneous announcement upon safely landing in Asaba, leading to confusion among passengers.
Following the incident, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority announced an investigation into the matter.
