NCAA probes diversion of Abuja-bound United Nigeria flight to Asaba

By Abubakar Yunusa

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says it has commenced an investigation into the diversion of a United Nigeria flight to Asaba.

On Sunday, the flight, which departed Muritala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, en route to Abuja, was said to have diverted to Asaba.

Upon landing in Asaba, the pilot informed passengers that the flight had landed in Abuja — the pilot later announced that he was given the wrong flight plan, according to one of the travellers onboard

In its defence few hours after the incident, United Nigeria Airlines said the flight was diverted to Asaba as a result of bad destination weather.

Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu, the airline spokesperson, said the pilot was properly briefed about the diversion, noting that the cabin crew made a “wrong announcement upon landing safely in Asaba [and] created confusion among the passengers”.

Reacting to the incident in a statement on Monday, Musa Nuhu, NCAA director-general, said the agency has taken preliminary steps pending the conclusion of the research.

“The authority wishes to reassure the travelling public that it will leave no stone unturned as it has always done in the past to ensure the continued safety of the aviation industry,” Nuhu said.

Also, United Nigeria said it is investigating the matter to ensure that it does not happen again.

In September 2023, a United Nigeria Airlines plane, an Embraer ERJ145, carrying 51 passengers and four crew members en route from Abuja to Lagos was involved in an accident.

The aircraft had skidded off the Lagos airport runway 18R but had no report of fatalities or injuries.