Air Tanzania Deboards Lagos-Bound Passengers After Aircraft Develops Technical Fault

Air Tanzania deboarded Lagos-Bound Passengers after aircraft developed technical fault.

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that passengers on an Air Tanzania flight from Dar es Salaam to Lagos were left stranded on Friday after the aircraft was grounded due to a technical fault, prompting aviation authorities to intervene.

Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), first confirmed the incident in a post on X. He urged the airline to immediately provide hotel accommodation, meals, and regular updates in line with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.

According to him, among the affected travellers was a passenger with an “unmissable” visa interview scheduled for Monday, making timely travel arrangements crucial.

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“If you are unable to operate over the weekend, please make provision for ticket refunds, as some of your passengers may wish to purchase seats on other airlines if you fail to reprotect them,” Achimugu wrote.

He stressed that while the authority had helped explain the safety implications of the technical issue to passengers who understood that safety must come first, the airline must still extend all the courtesies and entitlements mandated by regulation.

Achimugu added that similar assistance should be provided to passengers stranded in Lagos awaiting the return outbound flight, noting that the NCAA was engaging travellers at both ends of the route.

Providing an update on Saturday morning, Achimugu confirmed that the affected passengers had finally been checked into hotels and provided meals.

He said Air Tanzania had assured the travellers that they would be flown later today, despite the airline not typically operating weekend flights to Nigeria.

“We will keep monitoring the situation until the passengers arrive safely,” he added.