Passengers horrified as plane heading for Abuja surprisingly lands in Asaba

A United Nigeria Airlines flight with number NUA 0504 has left its passengers horrified after a surprise landing at the Asaba International Airport in Delta State instead of its original destination, Abuja.

The plane departed the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos on the afternoon of Sunday, November 26, 2023, heading for the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja.

However, the passengers got the shock of their lives upon arrival. After the one-hour-long journey, the cabin crew announced that the aircraft had arrived in Abuja.

In a shocking twist, the passengers soon discovered that the pilot had been given the wrong flight plan from Lagos, and the plane had landed in Asaba.

One of the passengers on the flight narrated his experience on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday.

The passenger, popularly known as Dawisu, is a former aide to the immediate past governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje.

His tweet read, "Nigeria my country. 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 wrong flight plan from Lagos."

Another passenger aboard the airline who corroborated the story also tweeted his experience, saying, "The funniest evening for me in a while.

"I actually became worried when the pilot failed to offer a tangible explanation for the error."

But, the airline has come out to contradict the claims of the passengers.

In a statement signed by its Head of Corporate Communications, Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu, the company said the flight had to make a temporary stop in Asaba due to poor destination weather.

It explained that the confusion emanated from the cabin crew, who had made a wrong announcement to the passengers.

The company added that the plane has since left the Asaba Airport and landed safely in Abuja with all the passengers onboard.

"A United Nigeria Airlines flight, NUA 0504, operating from the MM2 in Lagos en route Abuja on Sunday, November 26, 2023, was temporarily diverted to the Asaba International Airport due to poor destination weather.

"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.

"Meanwhile, the aircraft has landed safely in Abuja following improvement on destination weather," the statement read.

The company said it remains committed to ensuring the safety of its passengers at all times.