United Nigeria Airlines faced an unexpected twist on Sunday as its Lagos-Abuja flight, NUA 0504, intended for Abuja, was diverted to Asaba, the capital of Delta State, citing adverse weather conditions. Departing from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Terminal 2, the pilot made the decision to ground the aircraft at Asaba International Airport, leaving passengers bewildered.
A passenger, @dawisu, expressed the confusion on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that the pilot received an incorrect flight plan from Lagos. His tweet detailed the incident, stating, “We departed Lagos about an hour ago on @flyunitedng to Abuja, and upon arrival, the cabin crew confidently announced that we’ve arrived Abuja, only for us to realize that we landed in Asaba. Apparently, our pilot was given the wrong flight plan from Lagos.”
In response, United Nigeria Airlines, represented by Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu, Head of Corporate Services, clarified the situation in a statement titled ‘Temporary diversion of flight to Asaba.’ The airline attributed the diversion to “poor destination weather” and emphasized that the pilot was aware of the temporary change and properly briefed.
The statement clarified, “At all material time, the pilot of the aircraft was aware of the temporary diversion and was properly briefed. However, a wrong announcement was made by cabin crew upon landing safely in Asaba, creating confusion among the passengers.” Uchegbu assured that the aircraft had safely landed in Abuja following improved weather conditions, reiterating the airline’s commitment to ensuring passenger safety.