There was confusion among passengers after the plane they were travelling in landed in the wrong airport, more than 300km away from its intended destination.
Notably, the United Nigeria Airlines flight from Lagos was meant to land in the capital, Abuja on November 26, 2023.
However, once on the ground, it was revealed that the plane landed in Asaba, about 318km in the wrong direction.
Dawisu, a user on X, (formerly Twitter), who was among the confused passengers onboard, took to social media to share the news about the unfortunate mishap.
Plane Lands at Wrong Destination
“We departed Lagos about an hour ago on Fly United Nigeria to Abuja. Upon arrival, the cabin crew confidently announced that we’ve arrived Abuja, only for us to realize that we landed in Asaba,” he said.
According to the passengers, the pilot explained that the mistake resulted from a wrong flight plan handed to him from Lagos.
However, the United Nigeria Airline denied any wrongdoing, saying that the pilot had been told there was bad weather in Abuja.
In addition, to their defense, the airline stated that a wrong announcement was made by the cabin crew upon landing safely in Asaba, creating confusion among the passengers.
According to the airline, the plane eventually flew on to Abuja as they launched investigations into the unfortunate incident.
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Confirming the eventual landing at Abuja, Augustine Macky, a user on X and one of the passengers, joked about how worse the situation could have been.
“Abuja at last! I’m just imagining what it’d have looked like if this kind of error happened on an international journey.
Like you got a ticket to Ghana and somehow find yourself in Cameroon or Sudan,” he posted.
Airline Suspended
The airline further added that it was 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,” noted the airline.
On the other hand, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has since suspended all the wet-leased aircraft in the operations of United Nigeria Airlines (UNA).
This was after NCAA commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the flight NUA 0506 to Asaba and the confusion it has created in the public domain.
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“The Authority wishes to reassure the traveling public that it will leave no stone unturned as it has always done in the past to ensure continued safety of the aviation industry,” noted the Authority.
According to reports, the NCAA inspectors were not convinced about the claim that the bad weather in Abuja airport was the reason for the diversion to Asaba after a meeting held on the issue.
It was reported that at the said day, the weather was totally fine in Abuja which raised concerns about the airline’s claim.
Additionally, the Authority revealed that all the wet-leased aircraft in its fleet would remain suspended until after the conclusion of the investigation into the incident.
