Passengers Aboard Aero Flight Abandoned For Hours On Tarmac In Abuja

Passengers Aboard Aero Flight Abandoned For
Hours On Tarmac In Abuja As Aircraft Breaks Down
Passengers aboard an Aero Contractor Boeing 737
plane scheduled for a trip to from Abuja to Lagos were
left stranded inside the aircraft for several hours, with
airline officials nowhere in sight to offer any explanation,
SaharaReporters has learnt from a source who was one
of the abandoned passengers.
"It was as if the Aero Contractors turned us into
prisoners of war," said the passenger, adding that many
passengers were terrified as the plane sat on the tarmac
of Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja for several hours,
with passengers locked up inside.
Our source disclosed that Flight AJ132 from Abuja to
Lagos was supposed to take off at 8 p.m., but was
delayed until midnight. Then, once passengers
boarded, they were left inside the aircraft until 3 a.m. on
Saturday. He added that the pilots and the crew left the
aircraft with the passengers without giving any
explanation. A source at the airline said it was a case of
"Aircraft On Ground", a term used to depict seriousness
of engine trouble that causes an aircraft to be grounded.
"I think this kind of thing can only happen in Nigeria
where customers are treated by an airline as if they
were just rats trapped inside a plane, and the pilots and
crew members disappear just like that."
SaharaReporters could not reach a line for Aero
Contractors to obtain an official response to the incident.
Several passengers booked on other Aero's flights
suffered similar delays at airports around Nigeria.