Passengers on United Nigeria Airlines’ flight from Abuja to Asaba staged a protest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport following the prolonged delay of their flight, which was scheduled for 8 am.
Over six hours after their inability to fly, the passengers blocked the boarding gate at the airport, with other flights not been able to board for over 30 minutes.
United Nigeria Airlines was unable to board Abuja-Asaba flight on schedule following Sunday’s landing of an Abuja-bound flight in Asaba.
The airline explained that poor destination weather informed the diversion of its Abuja-bound flight from Lagos to Asaba Airport.
It said that aircraft “landed safely in Abuja following improvement on destination weather. United Nigeria Airlines remains committed to ensuring the safety of its passengers at all times”.
Passengers on the United Nigeria Airlines’ Abuja-Asaba flight have now been scheduled to fly Air Peace by 6 pm.
Earlier on Monday, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) suspended all the wet-leased aircraft under the United Nigeria Airlines.
According to a source close to the NCAA, the regulatory body took the decision on Monday via a letter communicated to the Chief Operating Officer of the airline.
According to the source, all the wet-leased aircraft in the operations of the airline would remain suspended pending the outcome of an investigation on the Sunday incident involving one of the wet-leased aircraft in the fleet of the airline.
It was gathered that immediately after the incident gained traction on social media on Sunday, the Director-General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Musa Nuhu called an emergency meeting of the agency, where it was resolved that the excuse given by the airline was not tenable to the authority.
It was further gathered that the report obtained from the Air Traffic Controllers of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency contradicted the airline’s claim on poor weather situation in Abuja at the time of the diversion.
No fewer than two wet-leased Airbus A320-200 aircraft are in the fleet of United Nigeria Airlines
