Factors Beyond Our Control Responsible For Flight Delays, Diversions –British Airways

British Airways has apologised to its Nigerian passengers abandoned in Accra, Ghana, following last week’s flight diversion and delays that characterised the country’s airspace.

The airline stated that the inclement weather condition and “a number of factors outside of our immediate control, led to the delays, diversions and eventual abandonment”.

A statement by Mr Kola Olayinka, General Manager, West Africa, British Airways said that the delays and diversions were regretted.

He however, said that the airline made arrangements to curtail the effect of the unpleasant situation by chartering a Boeing 767 aircraft from Euro Atlantic to convey passengers from Accra to Lagos.

Olayinka noted that a number of passengers had opted to make personal arrangements for their return.

Olayinka directed the affected passengers to send receipts of expenses incurred during this period to its customer relations team to process the reimbursements and also attend to queries.

The statement read in part, “The situation has been as a result of recent delays and diversions of flights occasioned by the inclement weather causing very poor visibility at the Lagos Airport, coupled with a number of factors outside of our immediate control.

“In these unique cases, the decision to delay or divert flights was made carefully by our pilots who are well trained to handle situations like this, especially in consideration of the safety and security of our passengers and crew.

“Regrettably, in this unique case, most hotels were taken up by passengers of airlines that were earlier diverted to Abuja.  The direct result was the inadequacy of accommodation.

“To resolve this, we booked all 157 available rooms and accommodated 157 Passengers, we also ensured the safety of the remaining passengers by accommodating them in a dedicated area provided by Sheraton where we provided meals and drinks.”

Recall that some Nigerian passengers of the airline had accused it of abandoning them in Accra and told them to make personal arrangements to travel to their various destinations in Nigeria.

The airline reportedly claimed it was “overwhelmed” by the situation.