Air Tanzania Deboards Passengers After Technical Fault On Dar es Salaam–Lagos Flight

Passengers on an Air Tanzania flight scheduled to depart from Dar es Salaam for Lagos on Friday were deboarded after a technical fault was detected on the aircraft.

Speaking with reporters on Saturday, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, said the passengers had already boarded when engineers identified the fault.

“They discovered a fault with the plane and tried to fix it, but it wasn’t possible. So, for the safety of the passengers, they were deboarded,” Achimugu said.

Achimugu had earlier responded to the incident in a post on X where he urged Air Tanzania to comply with NCAA regulations by providing hotel accommodation, meals, and timely updates to the stranded travellers, in line with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.

He also highlighted the urgency for some passengers, noting in his post that one of them had an “unmissable” visa interview scheduled for Monday.

Achimugu advised the airline to refund those who might choose to purchase tickets on other carriers if Air Tanzania could not operate over the weekend or rebook them on alternative airlines.

“While the NCAA is available to support you in any way possible, it would be appreciated if you complied with the regulations,” he wrote.

Achimugu said that officials had explained the implications of a technical fault to the passengers, who understood that safety must come first.

“Kindly treat them with the courtesies they are entitled to.”

The NCAA spokesperson said similar support should be extended to passengers stranded in Lagos for the outbound flight, noting that the authority was engaging travellers at both ends.

Providing an update on Saturday morning, Achimugu confirmed that Air Tanzania eventually offered passengers hotel accommodation and a meal.

He added that the airline had assured them they would be flown later on Saturday, despite not typically operating flights to Nigeria on weekends.

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

Air Tanzania recently secured its Foreign Carrier Operator Permit (FCOP) from the federal government on August 13, authorising it to operate scheduled flights into Nigeria.