A British Airways flight had to make an emergency landing after a retired military chief died mid-flight on Sunday night.
The aircraft, which had departed London Heathrow for Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Nigeria, had to divert to Barcelona.
Nigerian media reported that a retired Nigerian Air Vice Marshal is thought to have died on board the flight. The chaos aboard the flight reportedly triggered a medical emergency involving a pregnant woman.
According to local media reports, the airline apologised for the incident. It said: “Passengers are advised to expect an email with more information and can reach out to the airline’s Live Chat feature for support.
“British Airways acknowledges the inconvenience and thanks passengers for their patience and understanding,” the airline reportedly told the passengers.
.jpeg)
Mrs Tutu Otuyalo, British Airways regional commercial manager for Nigeria & Ghana, confirmed the incident and said that the person who died had been terminally ill, Nigerian newspaper This Day said.
On Saturday, an Air India flight was grounded in Birmingham after its emergency power device was unexpectedly activated mid-air. The ram air turbine, a propeller used when main power systems fail, was deployed during the flights descent.
The ram air turbine is thought to have also been deployed on an Air India Boeing 787-8 before the plane crash in Ahmedabad in June that killed 260 people.
Now, the Federation of Indian Pilots, India’s largest pilots’ union, is urging regulators to ground all Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircrafts in the country, calling Saturday’s incident “unprecedented”.
