The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has denied the alleged shut of the nation’s airspace due to the unrest, arising from the hijacked #EndSARS protests in Lagos, Abuja, and some other states in the country.
Though the authority has not issued an official statement on the development, a source in the apex regulatory body told Nairametrics that the airspace remains open in Lagos and Abuja.
He said, “It is not true that the airspace is shut as rumored on some social media platforms. Turkish Airlines is attending to its passengers at the moment and the flight is tonight. So, where is the airspace being shut coming from?
“Delta Airlines decided to divert the Lagos bound flight to Dakar, Senegal before going back to New York not because our airspace is shut but its Lagos office informed the Pilot that there is a curfew in Lagos. Expectedly, American airlines are so sensitive to issues like that.”
Back story: A Twitter user, Osasu Onayiuwana, whose friend is one of Delta Air passengers en-route Lagos from Atlanta, USA, had alleged that Delta Airlines returned to New York because Nigerian air space was shut.
He tweeted, “A friend returning to Lagos, from Atlanta on @Delta has been informed, during their Dakar, Senegal stopover, that @Nigeria’s airspace has been closed. They are now flying back to Atlanta!
“Actually, his plane is currently on the way to New York, from Dakar. Before this, some passengers asked @Delta to allow them to find their way to Lagos from Dakar. Understandably, the airline refused.”
Just in: A friend returning to Lagos, from Atlanta, on @Delta, has been informed, during their Dakar, Senegal stopover, that @Nigeria’s airspace has been closed. They are now flying back to Atlanta!
— Osasu Obayiuwana (@osasuo) October 20, 2020
