The plane landed at the wrong airport. Surprising facts come to light
An Airbus A320 belonging to United Nigeria Airlines landed 300 km from its destination. Passengers learned about the incident only after the journey had ended. An investigation is underway into a mysterious case.
The United Nigeria Airlines plane landed over 300 km from its destination. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has launched an investigation into the matter. According to local media reports, this incident disrupted aircraft traffic at the airport and left several passengers unattended.
Plane mistake. He landed 300 km from the destination airport
On November 26, United Nigeria Airlines passengers were scheduled to make a standard journey between Lagos Murtala Muhammed (LOS) and Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe (ABV) airports. However, instead of landing in the capital of the country, Abuja, they ended up in Asaba. It is located approximately 316 km from the destination.
Flightradar24 data shows that the flight of the machine was scheduled for November 26 at 6:30. The flight was scheduled to arrive in Abuja at 07:45 local time. However, after a delay of almost nine hours, the vehicle took off at 15:24 and flew to… Asaba. Landed here at 16:07. Passengers on board said the crew announced, “Welcome to Abuja,” but realized they were in Asaba. The crew would later announce that they had received an incorrect flight plan.
United Nigeria Airlines posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) explaining the incident.
“United Nigeria Airlines flight NUA 0504, operating the MM2 Lagos to Abuja route on Sunday, November 26, 2023, was temporarily diverted to Asaba International Airport due to inclement weather at the destination. The pilot of the aircraft was aware of the temporary diversion and was instructed accordingly. However, after landing safely in Asaba, the cabin crew issued an incorrect statement, which caused confusion among passengers,” the statement read.
Surprising facts come to light
Flight tracking industry portals are wondering whether bad weather was actually the reason for the redirection. Simple Flying’s findings show that Sunday’s United Nigeria flight did not take place on the standard route to Abuja. Under normal circumstances, the crew would fly towards the destination, and in the event of bad weather, they would wait in the air in the area for landing and only as a last resort would they choose another landing site. That didn’t happen here. The vehicle immediately headed for Asaba.
Several passengers and stakeholders in the Nigerian aviation industry immediately denied the company’s statement. Additionally, reports from air traffic controllers at the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) indicate that there was no inclement weather on site. On November 26, the NCAA opened an investigation into the incident.
