On November 26, A Nigerian airline, United Nigeria Airlines, is being investigated because one of its flights was supposed to land in Abuja but mistakenly landed in Asaba, which is 318 kilometers away from the intended destination.
The flight departed from Lagos and ended up at the wrong airport, prompting an investigation into how this mix-up occurred.
Passengers on the flight expressed confusion on social media, mentioning that they were informed they had reached Abuja when they actually landed in Asaba due to a supposed wrong flight plan given to the pilot.
The airline, however, denies fault, claiming the pilot was directed to Asaba due to bad weather in Abuja and attributing the confusion to an incorrect announcement by the cabin crew upon landing in Asaba. The plane later continued its journey to Abuja.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) seems skeptical of the airline’s explanation. Despite reports indicating good weather in Abuja, the NCAA has opted to suspend United Nigeria Airlines while launching an investigation into the incident.
Another incident of pilots landing at a wrong airport happened in 2020 in Nepal.
In 2020, Buddha Air‘s flight U4505 was scheduled to travel from Kathmandu to Janakpur in Nepal. Instead, the 69 passengers found themselves landing over 250 kilometers off course in Pokhara.
Weather conditions prompted a last-minute flight number change allowing landings in Pokhara, leading to confusion between ground staff and pilots, ultimately directing the flight in the wrong direction due to miscommunication.
