An Air France flight from Paris to Abuja was diverted to Lome, Togo, due to bad weather, leaving Nigerian passengers stranded.
The flight, which was scheduled to land in Abuja, was forced to divert to Lome, where passengers were accommodated in a hotel.
Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation, criticized Air France’s decision to leave the passengers in Togo overnight, despite plans for the aircraft to return to Abuja on the same night to pick up outbound passengers.
Keyamo took to social media to express his concerns, stating that he had engaged with Air France representatives to demand immediate action.
Air France cited “regulatory constraints” as the reason for not returning the passengers to Abuja the same night, stating that they would instead be rerouted on another flight.
The airline expressed regret for the inconvenience caused and ensured that the safety of its passengers and crew is its top priority.
The affected passengers were eventually rerouted on flight AF861, which made an additional stop in Abuja before continuing to Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
