By Adesina Soyooye
An air catastrophe was avoided and 245 souls, mostly Nigerians, aboard a United Airlines flight UA613, en route from Lagos to Washington, in the “wee hours” of Friday, January 24, 2025, had a seious technical hitch mid-flight and declared an emergency.
The passengers were in a relaxed mood, having just been served their meal, when the unexpected incident began.
The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 which had 245 passengers, eight flight attendants, and three pilots, suddenly lost pressure and dropped dangerously, three times, within Ivory Coast’s airspace.
The Captain immediately declared an emergency, and announced, according to reports, that the plane would divert to Ghana to land. It, however, instead, returned to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, from where it took off.
According to reports, a number of the passengers and crew members sustained minor injuries when the aircraft eventually landed at the MMIA, Lagos.
A passenger, who pleaded not to be named told Vanguard Newspaper: “We had already been served our meals when the plane lost pressure and dropped. We noticed a sharp descent. I hit my head on the ceiling because of the impact.
“I became unconscious, but one person from the medical team came to attend to me in the middle of the turmoil. The sharp descent happened three times, causing some people to sustain injuries. We spent four hours in the air.
“In the midst of the turmoil, the pilot said we were going to land in Ghana, but we eventually landed in Nigeria.”
A video of the situation aboard the aircraft, circulating online, showed distraught, scared and traumatised passengers, some crying, others praying on top of their voices, and others watching helplessly. Meal trays and contents were thrown around inside the aircraft. It was quite a sight.
In a statement
Linden Birns, a spokesperson for the Airline, confirmed the incident, and stated: “Flight UA613 from Lagos to Washington D.C. returned to Lagos to address a technical issue. After landing safely, the aircraft was met by first responders to address reports of minor injuries to several passengers and crew.
“The cause of the emergency remains under investigation. All passengers and crew disembarked safely upon landing.”
The flight was, thereafter, cancelled.
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