Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has raised concerns regarding Nigerian travelers who were stranded in Lome, Togo after their Air France flight was diverted due to poor weather conditions in Abuja.
He made the revelation about the situation in a statement posted on his official X account on Thursday night.
Keyamo explained that the flight, which departed from Paris for Abuja, was forced to land in Lomé after encountering adverse weather conditions.
However, he criticized Air France for its handling of the situation, expressing dismay over the airline’s decision to leave passengers in Togo overnight instead of returning them to Abuja once the weather improved.
“I have just been alerted about mostly Nigerian passengers stranded in Lomé by Air France. The flight from Paris to Abuja was diverted due to bad weather in Abuja this evening.
However, instead of flying them back after the storm subsided, there are plans to leave them in Lomé till tomorrow, even though the same aircraft will return to Abuja tonight to pick up other passengers,” he stated.
In response, the minister said he took immediate action by instructing his Director of Air Transport Management to contact Air France’s country manager.
He also personally reached out to the airline’s Nigeria office, insisting that the passengers either be returned to Abuja that night or be provided with proper accommodation in line with international standards.
As of the time of reporting, Air France had not released an official statement addressing the incident.