Timothy Olanrewaju
28 November 2023•Update: 28 November 2023
ABUJA, Nigeria
A commercial plane in Nigeria with more than 100 passengers on board landed at the wrong airport over the weekend.
The United Nigeria Airlines flight, which took off on Sunday from Nigeria's commercial hub of Lagos and was headed for Abuja, the nation's capital, suddenly diverted to Asaba International Airport.
"Welcome to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja," the cabin crew announced, but the plane had actually landed in Asaba, a town on the western bank of Niger River some 329 kilometers (204 miles) from Abuja.
Passengers said they only realized they were in Asaba instead of Abuja after they embarked from the aircraft.
The airline, however, attributed the mix-up to bad weather.
A spokesperson for the airline, Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu, told reporters the pilot diverted the plane to Asaba after receiving information about “poor destination weather.”
"The cabin crew made the wrong announcement upon landing safely in Asaba and created confusion among the passengers," he said.
Plane diversions are uncommon in Nigeria. The incident has generated concern about aviation safety in the country.
