A retired Nigerian Air Vice Marshal died on Monday morning aboard a British Airways flight from London to Abuja.
Because of the incident, the plane, which left Heathrow Airport at 11 p.m. on Sunday, October 5, and scheduled to land at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 5am on Monday October 6, was diverted to Barcelona, Spain.
Expectedly, the incident caused distress among passengers. The confusion onboard triggered a second medical emergency involving an expectant mother.
She was later stabilised.
British Airways, in a message to passengers, apologised for the disruption and assured them of support. “Passengers are advised to expect an email with more information and can reach out to the airline’s Live Chat feature for support. British Airways acknowledges the inconvenience and thanks passengers for their patience and understanding,” the airline stated.
Hours later, a replacement aircraft continued the journey to Abuja.