Abuja-London Flight: British Airways Denies Boarding to Over 50 Passengers, Reason Emerges
- British Airways denied boarding to 58 Abuja–London passengers after a faulty aircraft door required leaving several seats empty for safety
- NCAA confirmed the safety measures, with affected passengers offered hotel accommodation or the option to return home, and compensation claims encouraged
- The incident sparked online criticism over aircraft conditions, with calls for stricter NCAA inspections of foreign carriers
FCT, Abuja - British Airways on Friday, August 15, denied boarding to 58 passengers on its Abuja-London flight after a technical fault was detected in one of the aircraft doors.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) confirmed that the airline was compelled to leave several seats unoccupied for safety reasons, leading to the refusal of boarding for affected passengers.
Source: Twitter
NCAA confirms safety precaution
The NCAA’s Director of Public Relations and Consumer Protection, Mr Michael Achimugu, disclosed the development in a post on his X handle.
“As a result of the faulty door, they had to deny 58 passengers boarding this morning,” Achimugu said.
He explained that hotel accommodation had been arranged for the stranded passengers, with 28 choosing to return home while 30 accepted the hotel offer.
“Affected passengers can file for compensation. Arrangements are being made to airlift them tomorrow morning,” he added.
Passengers advised to seek immediate help
Achimugu urged the Abuja air travellers to make the NCAA Consumer Protection Officers at the terminal their first point of contact in similar situations, assuring that their rights to care would be protected if flights were delayed.
Social media reaction over aircraft condition
Source: Getty Images
While the denial of boarding was a standard safety procedure, the incident prompted reactions online.
One X user, @NewDawnNaija23, called on the NCAA to scrutinise the interior condition of aircraft used by foreign carriers flying into Nigeria.
“Not nice at all despite the huge amount of money that they charge,” the user wrote.
@BelemaMhart said:
"Just a question, did they discover this anomaly in Nigeria or knowingly flew to Nigeria with an aircraft with a notable amount of bad seats, I ask this with caution because, the air planes these airlines bring to Nigeria, most times , are their worst planes."
@OjukwuWils17544 said:
"Nigerian airlines can NEVER BE TRUSTED yo do this. Call me unpatriotic if you want. There's something about us always thinking of milking people instead of doing the right thing by default.
"Again, call me unpatriotic if you wish, but no Nigerian airline, today, can do this!"
Air Peace, Max Air and others lift lifetime ban on passengers
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had announced the lifting of the lifetime ban on the Ibom Air Passenger, Comfort Emmanson, after an intervention by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
AON spokesperson, Obiora Okonkwo, disclosed in a statement on Thursday, August 14, 2025, that Keyamo had appealed to the association to lift the lifetime ban on the unruly passenger to fly on any aircraft belonging to any AON member.
According to Okonkwo, the airlines decided after considering all the circumstances surrounding the issue, including the show of remorse by Emmanson, the withdrawal of the complaint and the striking out of the charges against the passenger.
Source: Legit.ng
