The cabin crew did not immediately inform the passengers about the mistake upon arrival.
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.
at least it did not crash !!
….and I can’t find a job…ANYWHERE!
(no thanks to the alphabet agencies in the U.S. and the Quiet Birdmen putting out the slander..AND-
Let’s not forget the Flying Shriners, University Flight Schools picking-up the phone and advising airlines not to hire certain unliked pilots, and the Order of the Daedelius that insures that no one who is NOT ‘in the know’ never gets hired).
IF you happen upon a flying job, rest assured it will be short-lived. The FAA is just as much to blame as the above organisations are as well. They will target you for ‘ramp inspections’ and look for any trivial reason to halt you flight from continuing, and will also look for reasons to fine you!!!
The CAA here in New Zealand finally has flushed-out the useless bureaucrats that used to run that government department, and a lot of improvements have been accomplished, but IF you fly privately or professionally, GET THE VIDEOCAMS OUT OF THE COCKPIT! The CAA / FAA etc. go thru those online looking for violations that you may not know that you have committed, until a fine or summons / suspension of your Pilot Licence arrives..
BTW- here in NZ we have proper legally-protected Pilot Licences. The CAA needs to show a reason or a judgement to suspend or remove the same.
In the U.S., you do not have Pilot Licenses; you have Pilot Certificates, and the FAA can revoke the same without cause and on a whim, as a ‘Certificate’ is NOT covered with legal protections. as a Licence affords full protection.
Imagine pulling in on a an airmail or bank run at 1 AM and every night the FAA comes over to harass you, and looks for reasons to take your Certificate because someone said this or that, or that you were committing ‘dangerous life-threatening offences’, or simply because you are ‘not in the know’. Or,
Maybe they want you out of the way so that a Masonic buddy of theirs can then take YOUR job!
Going to the FSDO to file a complaint of excessive monitoring and passive-aggresive harassment that effects the flight schedule due to the FAA weenies delaying your departure or have slowed the offloading then effects commerce directly.
That’s when the corporate lawyers get involved. The FAA Ramp Weenies cease and desist, but after a couple of weeks they are back like bothersome flies & gnats.
At one point I simply closed the airplane up and walked away, and refused to cooperate or fly until they left.
Aviation tyranny at it’s finest…!