"The Plane Couldn't Land": Ibom Air Passenger Shares Experience after Boarding Flight to Lagos

• A Nigerian man who boarded Ibom Air at about 7.10 am bound for Lagos state has shared his frustrating experience online
• In a tweet which quickly went viral, he disclosed how the pilot kept hovering for about 30 minutes due to bad weather
• After a fruitless time of hovering around and hoping to land, the pilot finally decided to change course and take everyone back to Lagos

A traveller who set out on an early morning flight from Abuja to Lagos had an exhausting journey after bad weather prevented the aircraft from completing its trip.

The man boarded an Ibom Air service shortly after daybreak with the expectation of arriving in Lagos not long afterwards.

Sadly, the flight had issues landing when the weather condition around the destination worsened greatly.

Pilot heads back to Lagos over bad weather

What was intended to be a short domestic trip gradually turned into something else as the aircraft struggled to find a safe time for landing.

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In a post shared on X, the passenger, identified by the handle @InibeheEffiong, explained that the flight had run into difficulty when it approached Lagos.

According to him, weather around the airport became too poor for the crew to attempt a landing.

Because of this, the pilot kept the aircraft circling above the city for about 30 minutes, hoping the situation would improve.

Those on board remained in the air while the crew monitored conditions and assessed whether it might become safe to land.

He noted that the aircraft continued to hover for an extended stretch without any sign of the weather clearing enough for the pilot to attempt a safe landing.

As time went on, it became increasingly clear that the delay would not produce the required improvement.

The passenger stated that after the prolonged period of circling, the captain opted for an alternative plan to avoid further uncertainty and to ensure the safety of those on board.

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With no progress and little chance of a breakthrough, the crew made the decision to abandon the procedure entirely.

The aircraft eventually headed back towards Abuja, bringing the unexpected two-hour journey to a close.

Although the outcome proved frustrating for passengers who had hoped to reach Lagos that morning, the man stressed that the crew handled the situation responsibly and kept the aircraft stable throughout the flight.

In his words:

"We took off from Abuja with Ibom Air at about 7:10 AM. Sadly, the plane couldn’t land due to bad weather. After hovering for about 30 minutes in Lagos, the captain changed course. We’re back in Abuja. Two hours in the air. The captain handled it well."

Reactions as Ibom Air passenger shares experience

Nigerians stormed the comments section to react to the post.

JP Attueyi said:

"I was scheduled to fly from Lagos to Benin. As we were about to fly out, the airport workers started a strike, and my flight was canceled, so I missed my appointment. I called and rescheduled for the next week. The next week, we departed Lagos, and a heavy storm started, and we couldn't land. After hovering around in Benin airspace, the captain took us back to Lagos. I just knew that deal I was chasing in Benin was a bad deal, so I aborted."

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Global trends said:

"I love pilots who prioritises safety over his flying ego. Some careless pilots would have tried some to land despite the fog. Thank God you're safe."

Foster's Corner said:

"If the safety standards employed in aviation were deployed in most other sectors of the Nigerian society, life would be much better."

Ayekooto added:

"Thought they said the Gateway Int'l Airport in Iperu will serve as an alternative airport to MMIA. Rather than return to Abuja, why not go land at Iperu? Or, was there poor weather visibility there too?"

See the post below:

Passenger breaks silence after flying Air Peace

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian lady who flew with Air Peace from Lagos to London on its inaugural flight shared her experience.

The lady said she was impressed by the services rendered by Air Peace and rated the airline 8/10 based on the value she got.

Source: Legit.ng