FLIGHT FROM LAGOS TO ABUJA ‘MYSTERIOUSLY’ LANDS IN ASABA

Babatunji Wusu –

Over the weekend, a United Nigeria Airlines flight bound for Abuja landed in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

On Sunday, the flight from Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed Airport to Abuja landed at Asaba International Airport in Delta State.

Passengers only realized they had arrived at the incorrect airport when the cabin attendant proclaimed “Welcome to Abuja” when they landed in Asaba.

Salihu Yakasai, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), one among the disgruntled passengers, took to his verified X handle @dawisu to drag the airline.

He expressed disappointment because, despite knowing the flight had been diverted, the cabin personnel said they were arriving in Abuja.

“Nigeria, my homeland. We took @flyunitedng from Lagos to Abuja about an hour ago, and when we arrived, the cabin attendant confidently declared that we had arrived in Abuja, only for us to find that we had landed in Asaba. “It appears that our pilot was given the incorrect flight plan from Lagos,” he wrote.

After roughly 30 minutes on the tarmac, the jet was rerouted to Abuja, where the passengers arrived safely.

The airline said in a statement published by its Head of Corporate Communications, Achilleu-Chud Uchegbu, that the flight was diverted to Asaba owing to poor weather.

He stated that the captain was sufficiently advised about the diversion, and that the cabin crew made the incorrect announcement upon safely landing in Asaba, causing confusion among the passengers.

Uchegbu, on the other hand, stated that the plane landed safely in Abuja once the weather improved.

“A United Nigeria Airlines flight, NUA 0504, operating from the MM2 in Lagos en route to Abuja on Sunday, November 26, 2023, was temporarily diverted to the Asaba International Airport due to poor destination weather,” according to the statement.

The pilot of the aircraft was aware of the temporary diversion and was appropriately informed at all times. However, after successfully landing in Asaba, the cabin crew made an incorrect announcement, causing consternation among the passengers.”